


Skating By

by vll8586



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Fluff, Romance, Secret Relationship, Slow Burn, figure skating
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:46:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23709376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vll8586/pseuds/vll8586
Summary: When rivals Percy and Annabeth lose their pair figure skating partners, they team up and embark on the season of a lifetime. Figure Skating AU
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson
Comments: 146
Kudos: 377





	1. Chapter 1

World Championship, March

It’s a weird feeling, sitting in the stands. Percy feels simultaneously at home in the arena, yet a complete stranger watching the World Championship as a spectator. He looks over at his partner Rachel, who is sitting beside him. Her mouth is pressed into a thin line as she watches the current skaters, a veteran pair from France, perform their short program. Rachel is really good at watching others skate, tracking all their movements, learning from them. Percy, on the other hand, is much more interested in the actual act. He hasn’t sat and watched an entire competition, probably ever. 

The pair finish their program and Percy’s hands absentmindedly clap with the rest of the crowd. The corners of Rachel’s mouth pull down a little. 

“You miss that, don’t you,” she says. Percy feels a pang of guilt. Of course he misses it, but it isn’t Rachel’s fault that her knee decided to give out, ending their season early. 

“I’m just looking forward to you being healthy again, so we can get back out there,” he says, forcing a smile. 

Her frown only deepens. Percy nudges her shoulder with his. They have to be careful of their faces in the audience. Because they were the gold medalists last year, there always seems to be a camera on them, catching their every reaction. 

The French pair receive their scores and look decidedly happy. Percy can’t help but smile as he watches them hug each other and their coaches. He remembers the feeling well. He and Rachel were having a good year before her injury, both of them on top of their game. Those few minutes between a great performance and the announcing of the scores aren’t his favorite part of being a competitive pairs figure skater, but he has many fond memories with Rachel, knowing they nailed a performance and then seeing all their hard work reflected in the numbers. 

The crowd dies down as the next pair takes the ice.

_ The next skaters in this group represent the United States of America. Annabeth Chase and Luke Castellan.  _

That catches Percy’s attention. The audience cheers again and Percy  _ woos _ along with them. Rachel gives him a smirk. Percy would have rolled his eyes or told her to lay off, but his focus is solely on the ice. 

Annabeth and Luke skate around hand in hand. They look put together with their matching red and gold costumes and Annabeth’s blond curls expertly twisted into a bun, but Percy can tell that something is wrong. Annabeth usually has a very determined look on her face when she takes the ice, but today there’s something else there. They skate around each other for a moment acknowledging the audience before taking their opening pose. 

Percy can imagine what the commentators are saying for the viewers at home:

_ Chase and Castellan are taking the ice. It’s been an interesting season for these two, with their top competitors and rival Americans Dare and Jackson out of the competition due to injury. However, they do have to perform beautifully to take the Gold here and they have had a bit of a bumpy ride recently this season. Dare and Jackson are watching from the audience now [insert camera shot of Percy and Rachel here] and I’m sure they’re unhappy about having to sit out. Let’s see how Chase and Castellan fare for their short program.  _

Luke does not look good. His skin is sallow and there’s no energy in his body. 

“Rachel,” Percy starts. 

“I know,” she says immediately. 

The music starts and he and Rachel lean forward unconsciously. 

Their first element is a triple twist, where she jumps backward with his hands on her hips. He then pushes her up over his head and throws her high enough that she can twist three times in a nearly horizontal position before he catches her. It’s the hardest element to get right, in Percy’s opinion, and anyone who includes it in their program put it towards the beginning to avoid attempting it with fatigue. 

Percy feels Rachel’s hand grip his arm as Annabeth and Luke skate into position. She pushes off the ice with good form, but Luke only gives her enough lift to barely complete two twists. Their landing is shaky but it could have been so much worse and they’ll be docked the difficulty points. 

Rachel lets out a breath. Luke and Annabeth skate through two more jump sequences. Luke hits the first, but steps out of the second. Their performances had been rougher than usual for the second half of that year, but this short program seemed to be draining them quickly. The next major element is a big lift with Annabeth fully pressed over Luke’s head and her weight supported in just one hand. The initial push off the ice looks okay, but it quickly falls apart as Luke presses Annabeth up only to immediately have his arms buckle and drop her. She falls quickly to the ice, knocking him down in the process.

Percy gasps and resists the urge to stand up. Rachel’s clutch on his arm is like steel and she covers her mouth with her other hand. 

They both lie there for what seems like far too long. It’s probably only a few seconds, but the time stretches with every heartbeat. The crowd is silent as they wait for something to happen. Usually, skaters will get back up and try to finish the program after a fall, but that was no average fall. 

Luke stirs first and he crawls over to Annabeth’s body on the ice. When Annabeth still doesn’t move, their coach - Luke’s mother May - hurries onto the ice followed by a medical professional on site. 

Percy’s heart is hammering. That was the worst accident he has ever witnessed and it happened to Annabeth. She was not only his friend, in the special way that absolute rivals can be friends, but also the object of the biggest and longest crush he’d ever had in his whole life. He was planning on finally asking her on a date after they got back to their training facility in Colorado, since she would have just a little more free time since the competitive season would be over. She was so talented and determined; things couldn’t end for her like this. 

He knows the best thing he can do is stay in his seat to give the paramedics space, but he wants more than anything to run to her side. He has to know if she’s alright. 

But the harsh truth was that falls like that could end careers or worse.

Rachel seems to read his mind. She turns his face to hers with her hand. 

“Hey,” she whispers. “She’s going to be okay. I’m sure she’s just shocked. That’s what happens when you fall, you’re just shocked.” 

Sure, they both had had their fair share of spills on the ice, that’s just a part of the sport, but Percy had never dropped Rachel like that. 

He puts his arm around his partner and pulls Rachel against him, for her comfort and his own. 

The paramedics bring in a stretcher and the audience claps as they carry her off the ice, with Luke skating behind. Percy feels a surge of anger as he watches them. He’d always said that Luke was holding Annabeth back and she should look into getting a new partner. But she had this loyalty to him and his mom. She’d been training with them her entire career, so even when she started to surpass him, she wouldn’t leave. 

And now she could be paralyzed. 

Percy and Rachel leave the arena together as soon as they can. They tell their coach, Chiron, that they’re leaving and book it out of there. They don’t want to do interviews. They don’t want to be asked questions about Annabeth and Luke. They go back to their hotel to Rachel’s room where Percy paces and Rachel lies on top of the covers of the bed. The news is on in case they mention anything about Annabeth’s condition and both Rachel and Percy’s cellphones’ ringers are on. 

After what feels like hours, Rachel sits up and says, “Percy, come here.”

He sits next to her on the bed. She’s pulled her red hair up into a loose bun and her green eyes are a little bloodshot from crying. 

“I think it’s time for me to retire,” she whispers. “I don’t think I want to keep doing this, even after my knee heels.”

Percy had known that Rachel was considering retirement, but she’d said she needed time to make her decision. He looks down at his hands, struggling to process everything. 

“I know this sucks for you and today is just awful,” she continues. “But we have so much to be proud of. I don’t even know how many medals we have, and a few World Titles is nothing to scoff at. We’ve had such a good run. I’m just tired and ready for something new.”

“But what are you going to do?” he asks. 

“I don’t know yet. I still can’t really walk that well, so I’m just going to rest for a while. And from there, I can’t tell the future.” 

He looks up at her face and sees the tears streaming down her cheeks. He knows this isn’t easy for her, but also that skating is the kind of career you have to be 100% committed to. If she’s done, she’s done. 

He pulls her to her feet by her hands, so he can give her a proper hug. She wraps her arms around his torso like she’s done so many times before and presses her face into his chest. 

“You’ve been the perfect partner,” she cries. “You never let me down and I am so thankful for you.”

“Thank you for everything, Rachel,” Percy sighs. “I don’t think I’ll be able to skate with anyone else.”

“Don’t say that,” she says. “You have so many good years ahead of you.”

They hold onto each other, feeling the sadness and weight of her decision, and it gives Percy a sense of finality. 

His phone rings and he keeps one hand on Rachel’s back as he reaches to answer it. 

“She’s fine,” Chiron’s voice says. “Nasty concussion, but she’ll be okay.”

Percy exhales a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. What happened with Luke?”

“I shouldn’t talk about it here,” Chiron answers. 

“Okay,” Percy says. “Rachel’s right here. Thank you.”

He hangs up and hugs Rachel again. He’s feeling so many things at once. Elation at Chiron’s news, renewed anger with Luke, loss at the end of his partnership with Rachel. 

“You heard what he said, right?” Percy asks her. 

“I heard your reaction,” she answers. “Are you going to finally ask her out?”

“I’m going to be the last thing on her mind. You should talk to Chiron.”

“I’ll get to him eventually. I can’t do anything else today. What did he say about Luke?”

“It was weird. He said he couldn’t talk about it,” Percy says. They’re silent for a moment. “I think I’m going to go home to New York for a while. You should come.”

She looks up at him and smiles. “I will.”

\-----

Percy is sitting on his mom’s couch when Rachel calls him. “Did you hear what happened?”

“No?”

“Apparently Luke was both hungover and maybe still high-”

She doesn’t finish the sentence because Percy interrupts her, “That bastard.” 

“He’s been checked into rehab,” she finishes. “Annabeth is done with him.”

“She told you this?”

“Mhm,” Rachel responds. “I’m sure she’d appreciate a call.”

“I need to chill out before I talk to her.”

“Okay, Percy. I’ll talk to you later,” Rachel says. 

Percy lowers his phone and tries to breathe. He can’t believe Luke would risk her life like that. He’s about to grab his coat and go for a walk to clear his head when his phone rings again. 

Annabeth hasn’t given him the chance to chill out before talking to her. He picks it up immediately. 

“Percy?” her voice asks. At the sound of his name in her voice, his heart clenches.

“I’m so sorry,” he says. 

“Yeah, so am I,” she says, sounding tired. “I don’t want to talk about that. It’s just that I need- I mean I want to see you.”

“I’m in New York,” he responds. 

“Just let me know when you’re back in Colorado.”

Percy doesn’t have a flight booked back to Colorado. 

“Rachel told you she’s retiring, right?”

“Yes, that’s the thing. I wanted to talk to you about this in person, but since you’re not here, I’ll just say it. What do you think about me?”

Percy’s mind tried to grasp what she was saying. He was still caught up on the fact that she’d called him and now she wants to know what she thinks about him? He thinks so much about her. 

“I’m sorry-” she says into his silence. 

“No, I’m sorry. I’m just trying to get this right. You want to be my partner?”

He thinks about how long it would take him to get to the airport and get on the next flight out. 

“I’m saying let’s talk about it. It’s a big decision.”

“I’ll call you when I get off the plane,” he says.

Percy hangs up and he can’t stop the smile on his face. He hasn’t fully processed what he’d just agreed to because his mind is filled with the idea of sitting across a table and talking to Annabeth. 

“Who was that?” Sally asks him as she enters the living room. 

“Annabeth,” he says with a grin. “I have to get back to Colorado.” 


	2. Chapter 2

True to his word, Percy calls Annabeth as soon as he gets off the plane the next morning. She doesn’t answer, probably because it’s 7am and she’s asleep, so he leaves a message asking her to call him back when she gets it. 

His best friend Grover is there waiting for him, having driven the hour up from Colorado Springs to Denver. 

“Thank you so much for picking me up on such short notice and so early,” Percy says as he plops into Grover’s passenger seat. “You’re my hero.”

“You know I only did this because I haven’t seen you in weeks and physically trapping you in a car is the only way to get you to sit and talk for an hour,” Grover replies. 

Percy tries to think of a counter argument for a moment, then gives up because he knows Grover is right. Percy is someone who always likes to be doing something. He loves that his days are filled with the rotation of training in the gym, in the dance studio, and on the ice. Being at home with his mother for a while was nice because he rarely saw her in person, but now he’s itching to get back into his full training regimen. 

“So what do you want to talk about?” Percy asks innocently. 

Grover let out a laugh. “Oh you know, just what’s new,” he says sarcastically.   
Percy knows exactly what he’s hinting at. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Aren’t you stressed?” 

“Of course, I’m stressed, but I’m working on it,” Percy says defensively.

“What does that mean?” 

“Okay you can’t tell anyone,” Percy starts. “But I’m actually waiting for a call from Annabeth.”

“Oh, that’s news,” Grover says. 

“Exactly! Which is why you can’t tell anyone.”

“You think the masses care that you’re finally going on a date with Annabeth?”

“She’s not calling me for a date. She asked me if I would talk to her about potentially becoming partners.”

“Oh, that really is news. Are you sure about that? Is she even cleared to skate?”

“We’re going to talk about it all when she calls me back,” he says with some finality. 

Grover glances at him out of the corner of his eye. “Okay, so what else is new?”

“Rachel’s starting a charity foundation.”

Percy is relieved to change the subject. The more he thinks about the prospect of actually teaming up with Annabeth the more wary he gets. Grover knows the full extent of Percy’s feelings for her, and more importantly how fragile certain kinds of relationships are. They say not to date your coworkers because things might be awkward in the office if the relationship doesn’t go well. Dating Annabeth after pairing up with her would be like dating a coworker except she’s his only coworker and the office is an ice rink where her safety and livelihood are literally in his hands. But then again, there have been some very successful skating pairs where the two of them were married to each other. And this is Annabeth that he’s thinking about, not some hypothetical person. So really, it could go either way.

Percy has already walked around that circle so many times in his mind since she called him yesterday that he doesn’t need to do it again with Grover. And besides, he’s getting way ahead of himself. He doesn’t even know if Annabeth shares his feelings. 

They chat for the rest of the hour while Percy’s leg bounces in the passenger seat. Grover is pulling into Percy’s neighborhood when Percy’s phone rings. He fishes it out of his pocket and answers it quickly. 

“Hi, how are you?” he says into the phone. “Yeah, I’m getting home just now. Grover picked me up.”

Grover raises his eyebrows at him.

“Grover, Annabeth says hi.” Percy waits for a moment and then says, “He says hi back.”

Grover parks the car and pops the trunk. Percy smiles at him and gets his suitcase from the back. He waves at Grover and mouths another thank you before turning his attention back to Annabeth. 

“I’m walking inside right now. Let me just put my stuff down, then you’ll have all of me,” he says. 

Percy meant to say she would have all of his attention, but he guesses all of him would work too.

\-----

Percy ends up driving to Annabeth’s townhouse later that morning. He wears his sweats and brings his gym bag in the car because he’s meeting up with his trainer Clarisse later to get him back on track. 

When she opens her front door and invites him, the first thing he notices is how dark it is. There are blackout curtains over the windows and a singular lamp is turned on in the corner. Annabeth is wearing a San Francisco sweatshirt he’s sure her dad gave her and pajama shorts. He hasn’t seen her outside of a gym or ice rink in a long time and at first the sight is almost startling. The woman in front of him seems so much smaller and less commanding.

“I’m sorry about the lights,” she says. “I just still get headaches.”

Percy has no idea of the full extent of Annabeth’s concussion symptoms. He knows what’s common, but he’d never seen someone fall so badly before. There’s a moment of awkward silence between them. Percy doesn’t know if he should apologize again, or hug her, or jump right into business. 

Annabeth makes the decision for him. “So what are you thinking?” she asks. “I’m sure you have a lot of options and I’m obviously not at my absolute best right now, but we’ve known each other forever. We’ve basically trained together for years.”

“Before you called me, I wasn’t even thinking about a new partner,” Percy replies. 

“Really? Well, you better start. You’re a hot commodity. It’s not every day such a strong male skater needs a new partner. As soon as Rachel’s retirement is public, a bunch of coaches are going to be kicking down your door begging you to skate with their girl.”

She says this all matter of factly and as she speaks Percy knows that she’s right. There are many more girls in competitive figure skating than guys, so talented girls are constantly searching for partners. He’d been with Rachel for so long that he’d forgotten all about that process. 

“Annabeth,” he says her name quietly. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? What have your doctors been saying?”

“It looked worse than it was,” she says. “If I take it really easy now, I should be able to really skate in June at the latest. I think I can do the middle of May.”

Percy can’t imagine taking that long of a time away from the ice. If he finds a new partner now, he’ll be able to start training with her much sooner than June, which would of course allow them to be better prepared for the next competition season, which starts in September. 

But on the other hand, Annabeth would have a very hard time finding a new partner, one that would wait that long. 

She sits on the couch and pulls her knees into her chest as Percy stands there thinking. 

If he gets a different partner, she’ll probably be younger than him and a relative stranger. And most importantly she won’t be Annabeth. 

Maybe winning isn’t what matters most to him. He thinks about what Rachel said. At this point in his career, he doesn’t have anything to prove. He’s won enough competitions to last a lifetime, but he doesn’t want to stop skating. 

“You always said Luke was the one who was holding me back,” Annabeth says. Percy had never said that to her face. “You thought I didn’t hear about that? We live in a small world, Percy.”

“I’m sorry,” he says. “I shouldn’t have spoken about your partner like that.”

“Well, you were right and I should have listened to you a long time ago,” she snaps. 

Annabeth deserves someone who is at her level, a partner who will match her energy and keep her safe. She deserves a real shot at the top. Percy can be that for her. Maybe they won’t win this year, but they’ll be even better the next year

“I’ll do it,” he says. Her eyes snap up to meet his. “You’re an incredible skater and an even better person. I would be honored to be your partner.”

She gives him a small smile, almost like she doesn't believe him. Percy sits down beside her.

“I mean it,” he says. “Do you still want to skate with me?”

Annabeth only nods before leaning over and wrapping her arms around his neck. He holds her lightly, worried that squeezing too tight will hurt. She lets out a breath against him and pulls him a little closer. It’s a feeling he can get used to. 

\-----

Percy spends the remainder of Annabeth’s recovery time in a whirlwind of meetings, press engagements, and workouts. Rachel flies back to Colorado so they can announce her retirement and his partnership with Annabeth together.

An interviewer asks him, “What’s it going to be like working so closely with someone who has been your rival for so long? Are there really no hard feelings between you two?”

Percy answers, “I’ve always had a lot of love for Annabeth… as an athlete. You know, the figure skating world is a big family, and especially because we’ve always trained so close together, I’ve been able to watch her grow over the course of her whole career, so even though we were always trying to beat them, we were also proud when they did well.”

When someone else asks about Luke, Rachel jumps in, “We’re hopeful that Luke will make a full recovery.”

That seems to satisfy them. 

\-----

It’s a Monday morning at the end of May when Percy receives a call from Annabeth. 

“It’s go time,” she says. “I’m on my way to the rink.”

“I’m already there,” he says. 

Their warm up goes well, after Clarisse is done crushing Annabeth in a hug and their physical therapist, Will, checks out her entire body just to be safe. 

Percy can tell that Annbeth’s stamina isn’t where it used to be, but she still moves beautifully. In the dance studio, her arms still sweep through the space with fluidity and lightness. Percy’s usual choreographer, Silena, leads them through a full class while Chiron sits in a chair in the corner and watches. 

Percy can tell that Chiron is studying Annabeth closely through every stage of their warm up. He’s much quieter than usual and he’s taking notes. 

At the end of their dance warm up, Chiron finally chimes in. “Can we see a few lifts?”

Percy nods and looks at Silena. “Yeah,” she says, “Let’s start simple.”

They talk through a couple options then pick one. Percy places his hands on Annabeth’s hips and she puts her hands on his shoulders. 

“You count,” he says. 

She nods. Percy nods back at her. She stares into his eyes and nods again. He nods again. 

“Are you ready?” Silena interjects. 

When Percy looks back at Annabeth’s face he sees fear. His eyes widen and hers squeeze shut. Just as Percy is about to tell Chiron they should take a break, she runs out of the studio. 

“She’s scared,” Percy says to no one in particular. He sees Chiron and Silena share a look in the mirror before he bolts out the room after her. 

He knocks on the door to the women’s locker room a minute later. “Annabeth, it’s me,” he says. 

“I just need a minute,” she says through the door. 

“I’ll be out here,” he replies, trying to keep his voice even. She’s probably freaking out enough; she doesn’t need his own anxiety adding to it. 

When she walks out of the locker room, her face is dry, but her eyes are red. 

“I’m fine, let’s just get back in there,” she tells him. 

Percy follows her into the studio. She looks sheepish when Chiron and Silena look up at her. 

“Can we actually have a few minutes?” Percy asks. 

Annabeth looks up at his face in the mirror. He tries to give her a reassuring smile. 

“We’ll be at the rink,” Chiron says as they leave. 

“Hey,” Percy says quietly to get Annabeth’s attention. She turns around to look at him. “I’ve got you.”

“Yeah, I know,” she says, covering her face in her hands. “It’s me.”

“Come here.” She looks at him. He holds out his arms, inviting her over. “Put your arms around my neck.” She does and he pulls her into a hug. “Now, I’m gonna pick you up.”

He readjusts his arms a little lower and bends his knees. When he stands up her feet are off the floor. He says again, “I’ve got you.” 

He starts to spin slowly, then picks up speed so Annabeth’s legs start to fly out behind her. She giggles and she holds on tighter to him and it’s the best sound Percy has ever heard. He sets her down slowly and lets his hands linger on her waist. 

She looks a little breathless, but she’s smiling, so he keeps going. 

“Okay, now stand over there,” he says. 

“Why?”

“Because you’re going to run and jump and I’m going to catch you.”

Annabeth backs up and he bends his knees and holds up his arms so he looks ready. She gives him a nod and then takes off towards him. Percy catches her with an arm around her back and the other under her knees. He takes her momentum and uses it to spin them around while she holds onto his shoulders with one arm. 

He stops spinning and just holds her in his arms. She rests her head on his shoulder.

“See?” he says. “I could do this all day.”

“Good,” she laughs. “You’re going to have to.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the enthusiasm over this fic! I hope you didn't mind that there's no actual figure skating in this chapter. Dw there's more to come!  
> Thank you to my beta reader Shealyn :)  
> This fic is making me happy during this wack times, so I'll try to update again soon. Wishing you all well.  
> -Torie (percyheartsannabeth on tumblr)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and Annabeth decide on their program music. Spoiler alert for West Side Story / Romeo and Juliet.

“Let’s talk music and choreo,” Silena says. It’s the beginning of June and they need to get started on their actual programs. 

Percy and Annabeth are leaning against the wall of the rink breathing heavily. They’d just spent the last hour drilling skills. Their practice is far from over, so he’s happy for the breather. He can only imagine how wiped out Annabeth is. 

Chiron hands them both water bottles and their skate guards as they step off the ice. They sit on the benches as Silena stands in front of them holding a notebook. 

“For your short program, I’m thinking something that will really show off the fluidity of your movement but still has a lot of power underneath. It’s an oldie but a goodie. Moonlight Sonata.”

Immediately, Percy hears the piano music in his head. It starts off slow, but ends with a wonderful build. Rachel was always more particular about their music choices, so he looks at Annabeth. 

She’s nodding along as Silena describes her vision for the costumes, “Beautiful navy long-sleeve dress, open back, a little flowiness to the skirt. Percy, you get your usual matching top and pants.”

“I really like that,” Annabeth agrees. 

“Wonderful,” Silena smiles. “For the free skate, of course, we're looking for some contrast. I’m thinking: selections from West Side Story. You’re familiar?”

Percy is nodding, but Annabeth is shaking her head. 

“You don’t like West Side Story?” he asks.

“I’ve never seen it.”

“What?” Percy asks.

“You think I have tons of free time to sit around watching musicals?”

Silena jumps in. “It’s a classic Romeo and Juliet story. Great music. You should watch it.”

“You don’t think that’s a little on the nose?” Annabeth asks. “Romeo and Juliet? Rival families?”

“I’ll email you some example cuts of the music, and you can let me know what you think,” Silena says. “And it’s a great movie. Worth the watch.” 

“Take a few more minutes to breathe and then we’re going to work some spins,” Chiron says before walking away. Silena follows after him, leaving Annabeth and Percy alone on the bench. 

“I happen to have the DVD,” he says.

“Who has DVDs anymore?” she laughs.

“Hey, my mom gave it to me.”

“So can I borrow it?” she asks. “Or we could watch it together? I don’t actually own a DVD player.”

Percy’s heart soars. If she hadn’t suggested it, he would’ve. 

“What are you doing tonight?”

“Icing everything then going to sleep,” she replies. 

“How about you ice at my place and we can watch it then?” He watches her gray eyes closely as he asks. In some ways, he knows he’s pushing his luck like this. But she was the one to initially offer. So really, he’s just being polite. And they’re having a rest day (which really only means that their training will be a little lighter) tomorrow anyway, so it’ll be ok if they end up staying up a little later. 

“Sounds good.”

He smiles at her. “Okay. Let’s get back out there.”

She shoots a last gulp of water into her mouth and stands up with a groan. Percy knows all too well about how training makes everything hurt. 

They hand their ice guards back to Chiron and then get back out on the ice. Percy takes a lap to get back into the groove while Annabeth turns around herself a little. In their program, they’ll have to do spins side by side with perfect symmetry as well as partner spins that involve intricate poses and maximum coordination. 

Chiron and Silena walk them through the four-position sequence of their side-by-side spins that they’ll likely do in their short program. Sometimes things get tweaked once the final choreography is set. 

They look fine enough apart, at least from Percy's perspective, but as soon as they do them at the same time, he can tell Chiron is not happy.

“Annabeth,” Chiron says. “There needs to be more power going into it. Your revolutions aren’t fast enough. You have the position. The technique is there. It’s just the oomph.” 

Annabeth nods again and looks at Percy. They take a few steps to get back into position, then breathe together as they push off their right legs to spin with it straight out in front of them. At the end of the sequence, Percy can feel every muscle in his legs burning from the strain of squeezing so tightly. 

“You’re still lagging,” Chiron says. 

On their next try, Percy catches out of the corner of his eye Annabeth’s foot slipping right out from under her. She catches herself with her gloved hands, but she still slides several feet on the ice. Percy stops his spinning to see if she’s okay. She’s lying flat on her back and lets out an exhausted huff. 

He skates over to her and reaches out a hand to help her up. She doesn’t take it. 

“Everything I used to be able to do is so hard,” she says. 

He feels weird standing so tall over her, so he crouches down. “You’re still getting back into the swing of things,” he tries to console her. 

“I’m so weak. My body is weak. I’m only twenty-four. I shouldn’t be this weak.”

Percy doesn’t know what to say. Of course her body is weak. She had to take weeks off, and not even just from skating, but from exercise in general. He knows explaining to her how muscle atrophy works won’t make anything better. She knows exactly what’s happening to her and why, and the fact of the matter is that it simply sucks. 

Chiron suddenly is on the ice beside them. “Everything alright?” he asks. 

Annabeth starts to get up. “Yes. Can we do some partner spins? I think I need to switch things up.”

She accepts Percy’s outstretched hand then and they skate back to the center of the ice. The first position they work is one of Percy’s favorites. It’s a partner camel spin where both his and her back legs are extended parallel to the ice. Percy likes it because he gets to hold his partner close while her body fits perfectly beside his. 

They skate together and push onto their left legs to spin counter clockwise. He keeps them together by holding onto Annabeth’s center in front of him and he tries to make her feel secure by holding her close, maybe a little too close because after their run, Chiron tells him to give her a little more space to breathe. 

By the end of their practice, Percy feels thoroughly drained and ready for a hot shower. He and Annabeth head into their respective locker rooms and emerge with wet hair and fresh sweats. 

“Do you want to follow me to my place?” Percy asks. “I’ll make fajitas.”

She twists her hair into a bun on top of her head and secures it with a scrunchy. “That sounds amazing.”

He knows she’s talking about the fajitas, but he’d like to think spending some extra time with him would elicit a similar reaction.

Back at his house, he cooks dinner in the kitchen while she lies on his sofa with ice packs under both of her calves. His kitchen opens up to his living room so they can still chat while he stands at the stove. 

“Our step sequences felt better today,” he says. They’d been experimenting with a lot of different combinations that day. Step sequences are required in the short program and are one of Percy’s weaker skills. They need so much balance and control to pull off. Annabeth nails them consistently. “If I could just keep my own foot underneath me, we’d be great.”

“Hey now,” she says. “If anyone needs to get it together, it’s me.”

“Stop,” he says. “You’re doing a really good job.”

“Tell that to all my bruises from falling so much.”

“We should talk about something else,” he admits. Skating takes up so much of their time and energy they should use their free time to remember it’s not the only thing that exists. 

“Yeah,” she agrees. “So how’s your family?”

Percy is happy to talk about his mom, step dad, and little sister while he finishes making the fajitas. They eat at his kitchen table and Annabeth insists on putting the dishes in his dishwasher and cleaning his pan.

Percy sets up the movie and is waiting on the couch for her. “A disclaimer before we start,” he says. “This movie is from 1961 and the casting is questionable at best, but everything else is great.” 

They sit on opposite ends of the couch and Percy feels his usual excitement as the opening music starts to play. He can’t help but glance over at Annabeth every so often. She shifts around on the couch, finding ways to stretch, as she watches. 

He resists the urge to sing along as the sun sets and the room gets darker. She lets out a little gasp during the brawl scene when Bernardo stabs Riff and an even bigger one when Tony stabs Bernardo. Percy almost pokes fun at her for looking surprised. They’d said that it was Romeo and Juliet and he was sure she knew the story. 

Her hand is hovering over her mouth and Percy laces his fingers together in his lap to stop himself from taking it. He peels his eyes off of her and turns his attention back to the movie. The rest of it passes quickly and soon enough Maria is waving the gun around and saying, “I can kill too because I have hate!” 

That’s when he hears it. A sob. Annabeth’s face is illuminated by the screen just enough for Percy to see the tears running down her face. It’s like an alarm goes off in Percy’s head. He feels frozen until the movie ends and she glances over at him to find that he’s staring at her. 

“Hey,” he says quietly, unsure of how he should respond. 

She opens her mouth as if she’s going to speak then closes it and shakes her head. Percy can’t sit still anymore, so he scoots over to her. She doesn’t hesitate to bury her face in his neck. He holds onto her with one arm while his other hand is frantically trying to find the TV remote.

“It’s okay,” he says, rubbing his hand up her back. 

“You didn’t tell me she lives,” she cries. 

Percy hits the Netflix button on his remote. 

“You wanted her to die?” he asks.

“No! But oh my god, it’s so sad, she has to live with that.”

Percy’s mind is racing to find the happiest show on Netflix. Annabeth is holding onto him and he can feel her shaking as she cries. This is not how he expected the night to end. 

He picks Parks and Recreation then drops the remote and hugs her properly. 

“I’m really sorry, Annabeth,” he says. “I didn’t mean to make you upset. We can tell Silena we want different music.”

She pulls away enough to look at his face shaking her head, “No, I love it. It’s beautiful.” She wipes her cheeks off with the back of her hand. “And you’re going to make such a good Maria.”

She’s trying to make a joke, but her voice hasn’t fully recovered, so it comes out as more of a croak. Percy laughs anyway. 

She notices the TV. “What’d you put on?” 

“Parks and Rec,” he answers. “I can’t let you go home like this. I have to cheer you up.” 

He puts his arm around her shoulders and she leans into him. Percy realizes he’s never seen Annabeth cry before. He’s seen her close to tears, but she always holds it together when she’s in public. The thought brings a soft smile to his face. She cried in front of him and now she’s letting him hold her. It means she trusts him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks again for reading!  
> TY to Shealyn!  
> Find me on tumblr as percyheartsannabeth :)  
> Hope this brought you warm feelings.  
> \- Torie


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and Annabeth work on their competition programs and Percy gives Annabeth a special gift for her birthday.

Percy wakes up disoriented. He’s not in his bed, his arm is asleep, and he smells lemons. His mind quickly clears and he remembers how he got there. 

Annabeth is sleeping soundly against his shoulder. She must have been really exhausted. Percy rubs his eyes. He must have been really exhausted, too. 

He has no idea what time it is, but he does know they’ll both sorely regret sleeping sitting up on his couch. They’d get an earful from Will once they both were asking him to take care of the cricks in their necks. 

“Hey, Annabeth,” he says quietly, trying not to startle her. “Wake up.”

She doesn’t stir, so he runs his hand up her arm until she opens her eyes. She puts her hand on his thigh to use it as leverage to sit up. “Percy?” 

Her hand immediately starts rubbing her neck.

“Go sleep in my bed,” he says. He reaches for his phone on the coffee table and taps the screen to check the time. It’s 1 am, which is way past both of their bedtimes. “It’s too late to drive home.”

She stands up and stretches her arms over her head. Percy hears something in her back crack and she lets out a sigh. She’s yawning as she’s trying to say, “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“I know. It’s okay. Just get in bed.”

The sooner she’s back asleep, he can get back to sleep. They could deal with any weirdness or awkwardness tomorrow.

He puts his hands on her shoulders and gives her the slightest push towards the back of his house. He has a guest room, but it isn’t set up, so he’ll make due on the couch. His body is already longing to lie down, so he can only imagine what Annabeth is feeling. 

She walks slowly as he leads her to his bed. He’s thankful he took the time to make it that morning and that the rest of his room isn’t a mess, not that they could really see anything in the dark. She climbs in on one side while he grabs the pillow off the other. 

“Goodnight,” he whispers as he closes his door behind him. 

He retrieves a blanket from his linen closet (shout out to his mom for setting that up for him) and heads back to the living room. If he weren’t so drowsy, he might have gotten caught up in the idea of Annabeth lying in his bed and what it would feel like if he slipped in beside her. And how she might lay her head on his chest or curl her body around his back.

But he’s already nestled under his blanket and his mind is blank with exhaustion. He exerts too much energy during the day to stay up late yearning, and he’s thankful for that. 

\-----

Annabeth leaves as quietly as she can and Percy only fully wakes up when he hears his front door click closed. Percy is simultaneously relieved and disappointed. He loves the idea of making her breakfast while she drinks a cup of tea, and maybe she’s wearing one of his shirts (he’s getting ahead of himself again). But spending too much time with her outside of training increases the possibility that he’ll do or say something he’ll regret. Just because she trusts him enough to cry in his arms and spend the night at his apartment, that doesn’t mean that she wants a romantic relationship with him. They’re partners, yes, but that doesn’t mean that she wants to be  _ partners.  _

Percy’s worries about things being awkward become quickly overshadowed by his focus on their short and long programs. They don’t have time to be weird around each other. Their days are filled with morning workouts and learning choreography as well as drilling skills. 

Percy would never say this to Annabeth, but things were not going well. He’s used to skating programs with Rachel, who until her injury, was on top of her game. They’d been pairs for so long that even the most challenging skills felt comfortable for them, not easy or natural, but solid. With Annabeth, it’s starting from square one. She’s slightly taller than Rachel and Percy has to be ready for that every time he lifts or throws her. So much depends on his hand’s ability to find her hip bones in a split second, and even though he never drops her, many of their pair skills aren’t clicking like he wants them to.

Their short program choreography is more comfortable for both of them. They’re portraying more of a mood than a character, and the fluidity and intensity of the music carries them along easily. 

The free skate, on the other hand, is a beast. Silena did not pull out any stops. Percy and Annabeth barely have a second to breathe during the medley of the “Prologue,” “Maria,” “Mambo,” and “Somewhere.” They’ve yet to run through the whole program without stopping, and now that it’s the beginning of July, Percy is starting to get worried. 

Whatever anxiety he’s feeling, he knows Annabeth is feeling it tenfold. He can see it on her face and she bites her lips and skates around with her hand on her hips. 

One day in particular, Annabeth is skating around just like that before they’ve even attempted to run either of the programs. Percy notices immediately and skates over to her. He holds up his hand to ask Chiron for a minute. 

“I’m okay, Percy,” she says, before he even opens his mouth. She tightens her ponytail and turns to look at him. He can’t help but take her in. Her fierce gray eyes and strong bone structure. Her tightly toned body in her training gear. 

“What if I’m feeling a bit nervous?” he asks. 

“Are you?” Her eyebrows raise.

He gives her a sheepish smile. She closes the space between them and puts her hands on his arms, squeezing his biceps slightly. 

“You’re doing such a great job,” she says. “The routines are really hard and you’re pulling them through. We just need more time to really get them down.”

He nods. “So let’s get to it.” She squeezes his arms again then pulls him into a quick hug.

Percy looks over at Chiron and Silena. “Let’s start with the short program. All the way through. No stops. If you fall just keep going,” Chiron says.

They get into their starting position. Percy’s standing behind Annabeth with his right arm extended and his hand palm up. Annabeth gently places her hand in his and nods at Chiron, signally for him to start the music. 

The short program is only two minutes and forty seconds, but it can feel so much longer. That time, it feels like ten seconds. Percy’s mind doesn’t stray from his body, the ice, and Annabeth’s body the entire time. He nails all his jumps and lifts, even the most difficult one where he’s holding Annabeth above his head with one hand pressed to the side of her thigh while he rotates. She lands their throws and their spins are in sync. It feels amazing.

They finish their short program facing each other with Annabeth’s hand once again taking hold of Percy’s outstretched palm. They’re supposed to hold the position for a moment before breaking to acknowledge the audience and bow. 

Percy tries to do just that, but instead he’s being yanked forward until he nearly collides with Annabeth. She holds their hands up to her chest between them and stares up into Percy’s eyes as she breathes heavily through slightly parted lips. He smiles at her and she returns it, the corners of her eyes crinkling. 

Percy’s feeling too many things. He’s overjoyed that they finally nailed their short program. He’s so proud of Annabeth and how far she’s come since her injury. And she looks so happy with him. And he really wants to kiss her. Her face is so close to his.

_ He really wants to kiss her.  _

“Good,” he hears Chiron say. 

They jump apart from each other as much as is possible in ice skates. 

“Annabeth really let your head drop back on the death spiral,” he continues. “Percy, your triple axel was slightly underrotated. Take a second to catch your breath and let’s do it again.” 

\-----

  
  


“How do you feel about the big two-five coming up?” Clarisse asks Annabeth. She’s standing in between Annabeth and Percy as they’re both doing leg presses. 

“I feel fine. It’s not a big deal,” she says.

“Twenty-five?” Percy says. “I always forget you’re older than me.”

She looks over at him and she presses her legs straight. “I am?

“My birthday’s August 18th.” He says the date hoping that she’ll remember it, not that he would even admit that. “When’s yours.”

“The 12th.”

Percy thinks for a moment. “That’s next Saturday. Do you have plans?”

Annabeth looks up at Clarisse then back at him. “I’m not exactly going to go out and get wasted,” she jokes. 

“You’ve got that right,” Clarisse interjects. She looks at her watch. “It’s time for abs.”

Even though both Percy and Annabeth have objectively strong cores, it’s much harder to chat while holding planks and doing sit ups. 

Percy can’t stop thinking about Annabeth’s birthday. He knows her family lives far away and she hadn’t mentioned anyone flying in. In the past she’d probably done something with Luke. Most of her friends that she grew up skating with don’t train at the Olympic facilities, so they live far away too. 

The thought of Annabeth spending her birthday alone hurts Percy. He has to plan something. He racks his mind thinking about what she would like. A dinner feels too much like a date. He’s cautious about doing another movie night. They’re under so much stress and pressure with their training, she probably just wants to relax.

A light switch flips in Percy’s head. Spa day. 

When they break for lunch, Percy goes out to the parking lot and sits in his car. It’ll be short notice, so he isn’t sure if any of the local spas will have openings. He calls around and literally pumps his fist when he finds a place that has two spots available for facials and a 90 minute massage for the next Saturday. He books it immediately, not paying attention to the price. If Annabeth doesn’t want to go, he’ll go with Grover. 

Percy smiles to himself, then panics. He’ll look crazy and way too forward to offer her such an expensive gift.

He calls Chiron.

“Percy? Did something happen?” Chiron asks. 

“No. I just bought Annabeth a really expensive birthday gift. Can I say it’s from us as a team? Like we all pitched in?” Percy says, way too fast. 

“How much money do you need?”

“I don’t need money, I just don’t want her to think that I paid for all of it.” 

“What is it?”

Percy suddenly feels very hot. He rolls down his window as he answers, “Just a little spa day. Thought it might be good for her to have a day to relax.”

Chiron’s voice softens. “That’s very considerate of you. Yes, you can say it’s a team gift and I’ll still pitch in.”

“Percy?”

He jumps and fumbles his phone around. Annabeth is looking at him through the open window.

“What’re you up to?” she asks. 

“Nothing,” he says, trying to sound nonchalant. Actually there’s no way he’ll be able to focus on skating with this hanging over him. “Actually…”

She takes a step back as he opens the door and climbs out. He leans against his car at first, then feels like he’s posing, so he just stands up.

“Since your birthday is coming up,” he starts. “We wanted to give you a gift to really express how happy we are to have you on our team. So we got you, a spa day for two next Saturday.”

“Spa day?”

“It’s a facial and massage package.”

A grin breaks across her face. “No you didn’t.”

“Are you free?”

“I guess that depends on you and Chiron. Are you fine with taking a lighter day?”

“Of course. It’s your birthday!”

“And it’s for two?”

He nods. 

“Do you wanna come with me? You deserve a spa day just as much as me.”

Percy tries to hide his excitement. “We’ll call it team bonding.”

\-----

They meet at the training facility in the morning of Annabeth’s birthday for a lighter workout, which would still wreck most non-professional athletes. The facility is usually less crowded on the weekends, but that day lots of people stop by to wish Annabeth well. Will brings her a cupcake and Clarisse gives her a bag of epsom salt with one of those stick-on bows on it. Will remembers to bring a candle, but no one has a lighter, so they sing happy birthday and she promises to make a wish later. 

They eat lunch and shower before leaving and meet outside the locker rooms.

“I can drive if you want?” Percy offers. 

“Only if you’re okay with me eating this cupcake in your car,” she says holding the plastic container up. 

“But what about your wish?” he asks.

“Looks like I’ll just have to get another dessert tonight.”

“Whatever you want, birthday girl.”

They arrive at the spa and before Percy can even check them in, the receptionist takes one look at her screen and one look at them and says, “Are you two those figure skaters?”

Percy just nods.

“Aw, sweet. I didn’t know you two were together.”

He chooses to believe that he means that he didn’t know they were a pair, so he just nods again. He hands over two clipboards. “Fill these preference forms out and your massage therapists will be out in a moment to take you back. Enjoy.”

They sit next to each other in the waiting room. There’s a flatscreen with a video of a coral reef playing and ambient music in the background. He keeps his attention on the form, taking longer than he needs to answer each question, to stop himself from staring at Annabeth. 

“I love Will,” she says, “but his massages aren’t all that relaxing.”

She’s right. The physical therapy they receive from Will is solely focused on keeping their muscles healthy. What Percy wants is for someone to run their fingers up and down his spine and massage his head. He’s sure Will would do it if he asked, but he’d rather not.

Their massage therapists emerge from the door leading to the back and talk through their paperwork with them, then lead out of the lobby. 

“Percy, the men’s changing room is to the left. Annabeth, the women’s is to the right. You’ll find your robes and slippers in there. Undress to your comfort level and then we’ll escort you to your room where we’ll get started with your massages,” one of them says. 

In the back of Percy’s mind, he knows that they're going to be led to the same room. What he had booked was essentially a couple’s package and it would make sense for couples to share a room for their massages and facials. He’s sure Annabeth knows this as well. 

However, when the door shuts behind them and they’re standing there in bathrobes looking at each other in the dim light of the room, they both seem wildly unprepared for what’s about to happen. 

They’re both grownups. Hell, she’s twenty-five. They can be mature, besides they spend all day everyday with each other and they touch each other constantly. They can stand to be half naked in a room together. They won’t even be looking at each other.

It’s fine. Percy turns around and hangs up his bathrobe on the hook on the wall, leaving him just in his underwear. It’s fine. 

He keeps his eyes on the floor as he climbs on the massage table and slips under the blanket. His face is firmly pressed in the headrest while Annabeth does the same. He’s trying to think of anything but her exposed back and how her hair probably looks against her back or flowing over her head.

There’s a knock at the door. They say in unison, “Come in!” 

They run through the routine of the massage therapists asking them about the warmth of the beds and Percy considers asking her to turn his table off because he’s sweating. But he’s not sweating because of the heat of the table. He needs to keep it together. 

The therapist starts by simply pressing her hands flat against his back, then lotions them up and runs them down the length of his spine. 

When Percy closes his eyes, he imagines that the lotion she’s using is some kind of magical liquid gold because that’s what it feels like. He focuses on the sensations in his own body to keep his mind from drifting just a few feet away. He tries not to think about running his hands down Annabeth’s spine, or holding onto the back of her neck. 

He’s doing well, until a small moan escapes Annabeth’s mouth. “You can go harder right there,” she tells her massage therapist. 

If Percy had pale skin, his face would be bright red. 

His therapist is now using her forearm to knead out his upper shoulder and it feels heavenly. He really should learn how to do that. Maybe Will could show him and he could practice on Annabeth. No!

He hopes she’s feeling more relaxed than he is. 

Annabeth’s therapist tells her to flip over before his does. “I’m going to do a lot of work on your neck,” she says.

“Yeah, I had a pretty bad injury,” Annabeth starts to explain.

“I know,” the therapist replies. 

Percy doesn’t consider himself to be famous. Well, he is famous, just in a rather specific sphere. Colorado Springs isn’t a small town by any means, but the people there do seem to pay more attention than most to certain sports because of the Training Facility. He shouldn’t be surprised that people around town recognize him and Annabeth. 

He settles back into his own body for the rest of the massage and relishes how his therapist soothes his aches away and nearly puts him in a trance of relaxation. Much too soon, she runs her fingers over his face one last time and says, “Take your time sitting up. We’ll meet you outside with some water and show you over to the next room for your facials.”

Percy just nods because he’s so blissed out, he doesn’t trust his voice to come out right away. The two massage therapists leave the room at the same time and Percy doesn’t open his eyes until he hears the door click closed. 

“I don’t want to get up,” Annabeth says.

Percy makes the mistake of looking over at her. There’s just enough light in the room for him to make out her appearance. Her hair is down and wild, from where her therapist had broken up her curls. She’s holding the sheet of the bed over her bare chest with one hand and she reaches the other over her head, stretching. She relaxes back and closes her eyes again, looking completely sated. 

“Thanks for this, Percy,” she mumbles. 

He stands up and stretches, feeling a satisfying crack in his back. He slips on the robe and slippers. “I’ll meet you out there.”

Thirty minutes later, they’re both letting their masks dry on their face.

“So you’re having a good birthday?” Percy asks.

“The best,” she says without hesitation. 

A few weeks ago, Annabeth had mentioned how she’d never spent any time in Denver and wanted to actually see it. 

“Next year, we should take a whole weekend off and I’ll drive you up to Denver. We could go on one of those city tours you mentioned, eat a really good dinner, then spend the night up there and sleep in so late.” 

Percy says it without thinking. He doesn’t think about the implications that one, they’ll still be partnered next year, two, they’ll be close enough to spend a weekend getaway together, and three that definitely sounds like something a couple would do. 

“Percy,” Annabeth chides. “We can’t take two days off. The Olympic trials are next year.”

He laughs, but he can’t fully smile because of the hardening face mask.

“Let’s go at the end of this season,” she continues. 

Does that count as a date? Did he finally successfully ask Annabeth out? Yeah, it’s almost a year away. He also didn’t really specify it as a date, so he can’t claim the full win. But she wants to spend time with him, free non-figuring skating time, and that’s something to be happy about. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to Lexi for beta reading this and happy birthday!  
> I've really appreciated all the kind comment you guys have left her and on my tumblr. It's so nice to receive such positive feedback and I'm so happy you're enjoying this fic :)  
> sending you all warmth!  
> -Torie


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end of August and Percy and Annabeth have their first competition.

When Percy is nervous, he paces, which is easier said than done on a concrete floor in ice skates.

It’s the first competition of the year and they’ve already warmed up and had their practice run on the ice. The rest of the summer has flown past in a whirlwind of training, training, and more training. They’ve run their programs over and over again for the entirety of the summer and now it’s time to show everyone what they’ve been working on. 

He walks up and down the narrow hallway outside the rink, Annabeth is sitting on a metal folding chair. She’s wearing her warm ups over her costume and rubbing her hands together.

Percy hasn’t felt like this in a long time. Pre Competition nerves are a distinct brand. They’re wholly different from the stress he felt when Annabeth was in the hospital or the usual nerves he has around her. He feels jittery and his whole body may or may not be vibrating. 

They’re waiting for their short program group to start. They’ll have a little more time on the ice, then they’re right in the middle of the competition order. 

When he passes Annabeth again he thinks about talking to her. Rachel always liked to fill the waiting time and competitions with talking. But maybe Annabeth likes to keep quiet so she doesn’t lose her focus.

They’d rehearsed every other part of the day so extensively that Percy mentally slaps himself for not thinking to ask ahead of time how they should spend the downtime. There are so many aspects of competitive figure skating that Percy had been used to with Rachel that are now a mystery with Annabeth. 

This is going to be her first time really skating in public since the accident, so he’s sure she’s not completely at ease. 

The only way to find out what she needs from him is to ask so he finally says, “Hey. How’re you feeling?”

She looks up and him and gives him a little smile. “Today’s the day.”

That doesn’t tell him anything.

“You want to talk about anything?”

She just looks at him for a moment. He’s not used to seeing her so done up. Her hair was brushed straight and slicked into a low bun and she was wearing a full face of makeup. 

“I want it to be over,” she says. “I will feel so much better after tomorrow.”

That means she doesn’t feel good now. 

“I’m excited to perform with you,” Percy says. “We’ve come so far and everyone will be so happy to see you out there again.”

“Only if I don’t choke,” she laughs dryly. Annabeth stands up abruptly and stretches her arms over her head. “It’s almost time to get back in there.”  
Her intuition is right and a moment later Chiron peaks his head in the hallway and nods at them. She takes off her warm ups and they hand over their skate guards. She takes his hand as they skate onto the ice. This is the warm up that will be televised. They barely talk to each other as they run through the skills they’ve planned.

Percy can imagine the commentators. 

_ New pair Chase and Jackson are taking the ice to warm up. They’re an unlikely recoupling of skaters, as they were rivals until losing both their partners to retirement at the end of last season. This is Chase’s first time competing since her devastating fall. We’re happy to see such a talented skater back, but there is the worry that she may not be back at full capacity. Jackson, on the other hand, should be on top of his game. We were surprised to see him partner with Chase over a rising star in the sport. We’ll have to wait and see if she can keep up with him.  _

When they got off the ice, he’s feeling pretty good. She immediately puts her warm up back on. Chiron gives them a few notes and reminders, but isn’t overbearing. And now it’s time for more waiting as their competition performs for the judges. 

Percy doesn’t usually like to watch the other skaters for too long and he is relieved that Annabeth doesn’t want to either. They go back in the hallway and move around a bit to keep their bodies warm. 

After a few minutes Annabeth says, “Give me your hands.”

Percy thinks she’s just looking for some reassurance, or maybe she wants to hold his hands (that would be nice), but instead she starts rubbing his hands in between hers.

“I don’t want your cold fingers on my bare back,” she explains. 

Percy thinks back to every time they rehearsed in costume. Were his hands always bothering her?

“I can start wearing gloves,” he offers. 

“Or I can warm them up for you,” she says.   
Eventually, she stops rubbing his hands and just holds them in front of her. Percy feels his nerves quiet and he tries to channel calm energy through his hands to her. 

When Chiron peeks his head in again Percy and Annabeth are still standing close together with their hands intertwined between them. 

Percy would like to think that it means something, that she wants to be close to him, that she wants to hold his hands. But he’s sure she’s just freaking out about competing and he’s there. He’s her partner. He has to be there. 

He squeezes her hands and she looks up at him. “I’ve got you.”

“But do I have me?”

He can’t answer that for her and he kind of wishes she wasn’t so honest, but they can’t do anything about that now, so he just nods at her and starts walking towards the rink with her in tow. 

The pair that just skated are leaving the ice. They’ll get their scores and then it’ll be Percy and Annabeth’s turn. She takes off her jacket, revealing her costume. Percy has seen it on her before, but every time it makes him pause. The dark blue compliments her pale skin and his eyes could linger on the smoothness of her back for days. The skirt of the dress is shorter than anything she would usually wear, but it shows off her legs beautifully. He needs to stop himself from staring. In a moment, every eye in the room will be on them, and the last thing he wants is for someone to get a great shot of him checking out Annabeth’s ass. 

It seems like no time has passed at all and suddenly, Chiron is giving them one last reassuring pat on the back, and their skate guards are off, and her hand is in his, and they’re on the ice. There isn’t a rule that says pairs have to skate hand in hand, but everyone does, and Percy’s thankful for that. 

They’ll save the smiling and waving for after the piece. Right now, he needs to focus on feeling the ice beneath, keeping himself calm, and being there for Annabeth. He makes sure to look her in the eyes and give her a little nod before he takes his starting position behind her. 

He lets out a breath as he waits for the music to start and lets his mind clear. The first chord of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata rings through the area, and he moves. 

Their first skill, the triple twist, is solid, but things start to go downhill from there. One the first throw, a triple loops, Annabeth slips off her toe pick and puts her hands on the ice. She isn’t able to regain her foot and her hip lands down, meaning they’ll face the maximum deduction for a fall. Percy can’t dwell on that, though. He has to get through the rest of the program. 

But he knows how disappointed she’ll be and it probably hurt a bit too.

He lands his triple salchow, but can tell it’s under-rotated. He hears Annabeth’s skate hit the ice, then the other one, and even though he doesn't see it, he knows she stepped out of the landing. That’ll be another deduction. 

Percy pulls it together for the backwards inside death spiral. Annabeth is completely relying on him having a solid grip on her and complete control over that skill. 

The second half of the short has more step sequence and partner skating. He can tell that Annabeth is reeling. Her face is serene enough, which matches the tone of the piece, but as he holds her hand and grasps her waist, he can see through her. 

Their spins are fine, a little tense but still together, and they end with a lift sequence that Percy feels really good about, but he knows that they won’t be able to make up the points they lost at the beginning. It’s the worst run they’ve had in weeks. 

The music ends and after they assume their final position, Percy is the one who breaks first and pulls Annabeth towards him. He knows how upset she’s going to be. His hand covers the bun at the base of her head and he lowers his head to speak into her ear so she can hear him over the applause. 

“It’s okay,” he says quickly. “I promise, it’s okay. I’m not upset. It’s okay.” 

She looks at him for the briefest second before facing the audience. They go through their bows quickly and Annabeth hurries off the ice. He has no choice but to follow her. A minute later, they're sitting in a booth with cameras on them, waiting for their results. Chiron is there beside them with his hand on Percy’s shoulder.

Percy knows they’ll get the full rundown of notes later, but he’s glad Chiron hasn’t said anything yet.

The announcer reads off their scores and Percy can hear the commentators in his head.

_ A rough start to the season for Chase and Jackson. With such skilled competition, their free skate tomorrow will have to be absolutely flawless for them to have a chance at the podium.  _

Percy glances over at Annabeth. She’s nodding with a completely blank face. He puts his arm around her and she leans into him for just a moment while he gives a closed mouth smile and waves to the camera.

There’s an interviewer waiting for them outside the booth with a microphone. Before she can even ask any questions, Percy leans into the microphone and says, “We’re happy to be back on the ice competing and we’re looking forward to our free skate tomorrow.”

He takes Annabeth’s hand and walks away. At another competition he knows that kind of behavior with the media wouldn’t fly, but this one isn’t a qualifier or anything too important so he really couldn’t care less. 

Percy immediately feels better as soon as they’re not the center of attention. Chiron leads them down a hallway towards the locker rooms, but stops them before they split up.

He turns to them and holds his hands out palm up. “Do we want to debrief now?” he asks. Annabeth shakes her head.“Then, rest up tonight and let’s nail it tomorrow.”

Percy appreciates Chiron for not pushing them. They know how poorly that went and breaking all down probably isn’t what they need right now. He’s not sure exactly what they need, but it’s definitely not negative feedback. 

It feels amazing to get out of his skates and costume, and he decides to shower back at the hotel. 

Percy and Annabeth don’t have to go everywhere together, but not being with his partner at a competition just feels wrong. He waits for her outside the locker room. She emerges a few minutes after him with her face wiped clean, but her hair still up. 

“Thanks for handling that interview,” she says with a little smile. 

“Of course,” he says. 

There’s a beat of silence and Percy wishes he had the right words. Even though she looks done and disappointed, she’s beautiful. Her gray eyes meet his for a moment before looking away. The corners of her mouth pull down into a slight frown. 

“Let’s go back to the hotel,” he says. 

He has a feeling if they start talking to each other about what happened on the ice, things are going to get emotional and he doesn’t want that to happen where other people can see them, or more importantly record them.

He resists the urge to take her hand again as they make their way out of the arena. They’re not acting as a pair now, they’re just two people, two friends. 

“Do you wanna get dinner?” he asks her as they reach their rental car. 

Maybe he can cheer her up over a nice meal.

“I think I just need to lie down,” she says flatly. 

Okay, maybe not.

“You still need to eat something,” he says. 

“I’ll get room service.” 

The tone of her voice makes it clear. He’s not invited. 

The ride to the hotel is quiet. She stares out the window the entire time and seems to be sitting as far away from him as possible in the passenger seat of the car. 

They go their separate ways at their rooms and when Percy wishes her a good night she just nods at him. His phone is in his hand as soon as the door closes and he audibly lets out a sigh of relief when he hears Rachel’s voice.

“I was waiting for you to call me,” she says. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. It’s Annabeth,” he answers. “She’s completely shut me out, so actually I guess I’m not fine.”

“What did she say?” Rachel asks.

“Nothing.”

“She probably feels guilty and embarrassed.”

“I told her I wasn’t upset and I asked her if she wanted to get dinner so we could talk more and shut me down.”

“You should go talk to her. You can’t compete tomorrow like this. It’ll be a disaster.” Rachel says. 

“What should I say?”

“I don’t know. She’s your partner, not mine. If you just had a bad performance, what would you want your partner to say to you?”

Percy wracks his mind for a time when he bombed on the ice, but he struggles to think of a time when he had such a bad performance. Yes, he’s had slip ups here and there, but nothing major at a competition. 

“What would you want me to say to you?” Percy asks Rachel.

“Percy, I’m not Annabeth. Sometimes I might want you to tell me to get it together and other times I might just want a hug. You won’t know if you don’t talk to her.”

Percy paces around the hotel room. 

“How bad was it, really?” he asks.

“You saw your score,” she says matter-of-factly. “If you absolutely crush your free skate, someone will have to choke for you to get on the podium. Annabeth knows this.”

“I don’t care about all that anymore.”

“Then, I’d make sure you’re on the same page about that. You have one more non-qualifying competition before the national qualifier at the end of September. You don’t actually have a lot of time, so figure it out now.” 

“I know, Rachel. Thanks for letting me vent,” he says. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too. Competition stuff aside, how are you and Annabeth?”

“We’re fine. We’re friends.”

“Going to dinner and roller skating for your birthday seems a little closer to a date than friends,” she says. 

“I kind of felt that way too, especially because she planned it all,” he sighs. “We’ve been so focused on skating, I’m not even trying to do anything. She didn’t want to get dinner with me today. Maybe I should accept that we’re going to keep things strictly professional. I just don’t know what she’s feeling and I don’t want to push anything, and clearly we need to work harder on the programs.” 

Rachel is quiet for a moment. He hadn’t anticipated dumping all that on her, but now that he’s said it he’s glad it’s off his chest. Even though he’s said it to the wrong person. 

“Just focus on tomorrow, for now,” she says finally. “And how about I come out and visit soon?”

“I’d love that,” he says. 

“Go talk to Annabeth before it gets too late,” Rachel says. 

“I will, don’t worry.”

“I’ll be watching tomorrow. Good luck.”

Percy thanks her and hangs up. He wants to call his mom, but it’s the middle of the night in New York. He paces around for a few more minutes trying to get his nerves to completely calm down so he doesn’t bring any of that energy to Annabeth.

He’s standing by the window when there’s a knock at the door. 

“Percy, it’s me,” Annabeth says. He hurries across the room and opens the door. Before he can say anything, Annabeth steps in the room and turns to him. “I’m so sorry. I’m sorry about the short program and I’m sorry for almost avoiding you. Let’s figure something out for tomorrow.”

“It’s okay,” he says. “We both didn’t skate our best today and that’s okay.”

“Not our best is a bit of an understatement, don’t you think?”

“It was rough and we’re not going to win tomorrow and that’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” she snaps. 

She seems to be just as shocked as he is. They both recoil from each other and the air in the room feels charged. 

“I really let you down today. You’re a champion and you’re on top of your game, and now I’m the one who’s holding you back. I thought I would be able to come back and just work through it all, but I didn’t. And now, I’ve humiliated us both.”

“We had one bad run. That doesn’t mean that your hard work has been for nothing. We’ll try again tomorrow and frankly, I don’t care if we place at this competition,” he says. 

Her eyes harden. “You should care.”

Percy doesn’t know if saying anything else will help. He knows how competitive she is and how she wanted to be his partner so she could have a serious shot. She doesn’t know that he accepted being her partner at ease with the idea of never winning again. 

He remembers what Rachel said about just wanting a hug and he opens his arms. Her body practically collapses into his as she hugs him. Feeling her exhaustion makes Percy aware of just how tired he is too. Competitions are inherently stressful, even though he feels he has nothing to prove. 

He rests his chin on her shoulder, encasing her as much as he can. “Did you eat?”

“No, I was too busy crying,” she says. It comes out as a bit of a laugh. 

“You want room service?”

“Yeah, I could eat a horse.”

“Same here,” Percy says. He can’t help himself and he kisses the top of her head before loosening his grip on her. 

Annabeth steps away from him to pick up the menu from the desk and he takes a seat on the edge of the bed, his legs and feet feeling relieved from not standing. 

She’s reading the menu over when he says, “Annabeth?”

She looks over at him with her eyebrows slightly raised. “Yeah?” It’s such a sweet and simple expression.

“I do care,” Percy says. He’s not just talking about figure skating. “I care so much.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading :)  
> thank you to lexi (youbelongwithswiftie) for beta reading!  
> Hugs <3  
> -Torie


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy and Annabeth take on the second day of competition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first things first, black lives matter :)  
> if you only know me from this website, you might not know this, but I am black and my heart is broken over the absolute depravity of the systems that form the united states (especially the police, prison, and "justice" system.)  
> if you would pay a few bucks to read this fic, consider donating a few bucks to a bail fund bit.ly/localbailfunds  
> with that said, pls enjoy this chapter!

The second day of the competition, Percy, Annabeth, and Chiron all somehow came to the conclusion that they are going to act like yesterday didn’t happen. They go through the warm ups and the waiting without a single mention of it. It seems like no time has passed and suddenly Percy is back on the ice with Annabeth beside him waiting for the music to start. 

The iconic whistle of the prologue of West Side Story rings out through the arena and Percy’s muscle memory kicks in. There’s so much to think about during the free skate. On top of nailing all the skills, they have to tell a story, and not just any story, one of the most famous love stories of all time.

And they do.

Percy feels infinitely better than he did yesterday as he skates with Annabeth. She looks strong and passionate. 

Their triple twist is solid, and they both land the following side by side triple toe loop double toe loop combination. He has a little time to enjoy skating with Annabeth before the side by side double salchows, which feel really secure. 

He pushes her up into a one handed lift as the music transitions into “Maria.” Every time they touch his hands are secure in hers or firm on her body and her face expertly conveys the full range of emotions in the arc of their free skate.

They make eye contact before she leans back into an elongated death spiral with one foot off the ice. Next is a step sequence that leads into a series of side by side spins. They get closer and closer together and it seems like they’ll stay that way, but at the last moment Percy falls through Annabeth’s arms and collapses to the ice. He knows to tuck his leg beneath him and catch is weight on the side of his thigh, while still keeping the choreographed fall dramatic.

The music ends with Percy lying flat on his back and Annabeth looking up in anguish signifying the tragic end of the story. Percy lies still for a moment before sitting up. 

Annabeth is looking at him with her hands over her mouth. Then she’s on her knees in front of him, pulling him against her in a breathtaking hug. Even though Percy wishes it would last forever, they have to bow and get off the ice, so he pulls her up and gives her one more quick hug before turning to the spectators. 

They nailed that. They absolutely crushed it. The audience is standing and clapping and cheering. Percy knows it’s all for her. Today is her true comeback, her true return to the spotlight. By the way that she just skated, she’s earned every ounce of their praise. 

Percy can’t stop smiling as they leave the ice and make their way to the booth where they’ll hear their scores. Annabeth has a stuffed animal in her lap as they wait and she’s beaming as she clutches his hand. 

Their scores are not just good, but great. Incredible even. They put them in first place for the group, which doesn’t mean much because they were one of the first pairs to skate, but Percy stils feels a rush of pride shoot through him. He takes his eyes off the screen and looks at Annabeth. What he expects is to see her beautiful gray eyes, shining and gleeful. What he gets are her lips pressed to his.

It’s over so fast. Really, it’s just a peck and she’s back to smiling and waving. 

Chiron pats his shoulder and they have to get up so the competition can keep going. The reported waiting for them outside of the booth is grinning and her eyebrows are raised so high they disappear behind her bangs.

The first thing she says is, “Congratulations! Is there something you’d like to tell the viewers?”

Percy can’t help himself. He leans in towards the mic and says, “I am so proud of my partner. She just did some beautiful work out on the ice. And even though I’m glad that work is reflected in our scores, what really matters is that it is such a pleasure to skate with her.”

Annabeth beams at him then leans forward. She still sounds a little out of breath. “I am so thankful for Percy and the rest of our team. It’s because of their support and their belief in me that I was able to perform to the best of my abilities today.”

“The figure skating community is happy to have you two back and strong,” the reporter says. “And I do have to ask, was that a little smooch we saw up there?”

Annabeth just laughs and pulls him away. 

Percy needs to process what just happened. Did Annabeth kiss him? Like really mean to kiss him? No, she couldn’t have. She must have been going in for a peck on the cheek and he just happened to turn his head at the exact right time to catch her lips. But then why did she act so cryptic with the reporter? She could have cleared everything up for him and everyone who just watched them kiss on live television. 

Chiron stops them before they head to the locker rooms to get changed. “Wonderful skating today. Let’s keep this momentum.”

Percy wishes he could get Annabeth alone, but they have to stick around because it's the second day of competition and he’s not trying to have that kind of conversation in public. Their flights are that night, so they won’t really be alone until they’re all the way home in Colorado. They’ll both be dead tired by the time that happens, so he’s just going to have to wait for another day. 

That doesn’t stop other people from asking him about it, though.The first time he checks his phone in the locker room he already has several text messages waiting for him. 

_Grover: Great job! You two really really nailed that_

_YES LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS_

_Percy. Have my eyes deceived me or did Annabeth just kiss you on live television?! Is there something that you have neglected to tell me?? I know you’re not going to see these for a while but bro!! What was that??? Did you finally ask her out??_

_Rachel: That was amazing. So proud of you too._

_Um Percy? That kiss?? Why didn’t you tell me??_

_Mom: So proud of you, honey! Give me a call when you get the chance_

Percy’s face heats up as he reads the messages. He can’t respond to them now. He doesn’t have any kind of explanation. But if he waits it's going to make him look guilty. 

Wait, guilty of what? Percy hasn’t hidden anything from his friends. He’s just as in the dark as they are and it’s really up to Annabeth to illuminate any of them. 

\-----

They end up getting 4th place. It’s the lowest rank Percy has had in who knows how long. It’s also the first time Annabeth has missed the podium in years. For a moment Percy is worried that missing the podium is going to crush Annabeth’s high, but it doesn’t. She’s still cheerful as they pack up and by the time they get to the airport she’s more sleepy than anything. 

Percy isn’t surprised that he falls asleep on the plane, but his heart does jump a little when he wakes up to find Annabeth’s head resting on his shoulder. 

Grover picks them up from the airport. He doesn’t ask Percy about Annabeth and the kiss even though she seems to sleep through the whole drive back to Colorado Springs. He does give him some pointed looks from the driver seat, though. 

When they pull up to Annabeth’s apartment, Percy hops out of the car and gets Annabeth’s suitcase before she can even stand up. He walks her to her front door and watches as she unlocks it. 

Before she can go inside, he swoops her up in a bear hug. She lets out a little gasp, but quickly hugs him back. 

“You’re amazing,” he says. 

Annabeth pulls back to look him in the eyes. “You are the best. I mean it. You’re the best.”

Percy would love to unpack that a little and really get to the heart of what she means by that, but it’s late and Grover is waiting, so he just smiles and says, “Get some rest. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

When he gets back in the car, he just shakes his head at Grover. He doesn’t want to talk about it tonight. He and Grover could talk in circles for hours about how he feels about Annabeth, but they won’t get anywhere without any additional input from her. Percy also doesn’t want to keep building up his hopes for Annabeth to eventually shoot him down, so he should really take what he can get. 

_You’re the best._

The memory makes him smile to himself. Maybe that is something he can work with. 

\-----

They have a light day of training scheduled for the next day, so Percy gets to sleep in. Or he was supposed to get to sleep in. 

His phone rings at 7:30am. 

“Rachel?” he asks groggily.

“Hi,” she says, in a weirdly drawn out voice. “I take it that you haven’t been online?”

“I’ve been asleep.”

“Well, I just want to give you a heads up. Some of the figure skating fans have firmly decided that you and Annabeth have been in a secret relationship for a while now. And since I really think you would tell me if you were, especially after what happened yesterday, I’m thinking that you’re not. And now you’re going to have to have a talk about it with her.”

Percy’s mind is still slowly waking up so he just lets out a long, “Hmmm,” instead of voicing any coherent thoughts. 

“People have been asking me about it,” she continues. “So let me know what you want me to say if you want me to say anything. I’ll let you get back to sleep.”

She hangs up and Percy closes his eyes. God, he’s tired, but the wheels in his mind are already turning. 

He calls Rachel back.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she answers.

“What are they even saying?” he asks.

“I’ll send you some links.” 

Percy groans as he sits up and goes to find his laptop. Rachel stays on the phone with him as he checks his social media accounts, which he rarely updates. Eventually he ends up on Youtube, watching a compilation of interviews he and Annabeth have done. It even includes the kiss from yesterday and the subsequent interview.

“This happened less than a day ago,” he says into the phone as he watches. “How did they already post these?”

“I think your fans are a little more dedicated than you thought.” 

Because Rachel can’t see him, he watches the video of the kiss again then feels embarrassed. He hates how much he loves to see it, the way she closes her eyes and purses her lips and how she smiles at him first and then the camera. 

“What are the odds you think that Annabeth has seen all of this?” he says slowly. 

“I’m sure she already has. I’m going to leave all of that in your hands. Okay? Just tell her the truth. She obviously likes you.”

“Oh and Rachel? Please just don’t say anything to anyone about me and Annabeth.”

“Of course, Percy. I’ve got you.”

Percy thanks Rachel and hangs up, only to immediately call Grover, hoping he’s not already out leading a hike. 

“Hi Percy,” he answers. “I’m about to head out, so what’s up?”

“My fans are convinced that Annabeth and I are in a secret relationship and they’ve been posting about it non-stop since yesterday.”

Grover just laughs. “Sounds like something that you’re gonna have to talk to Annabeth about. Look, I’m sorry the fans put you in such an awkward situation, but you might be able to use this to help express your feelings and get on the same page.”

“But what if I ruin everything?”

“That’s always the risk, isn’t it?” Grover says. “I have to run, so I’ll talk to you later. You've got this bud.” 

Percy can’t spend much more time on the phone calling his friends for help, but he does want to talk to his mom. He starts getting ready for the day so he doesn’t end up late; he’s supposed to be in the gym with Clarisse at 10. His sunny side up eggs are underway when he pulls out his cell again to call his mom.

It starts ringing before he gets the chance.

“Annabeth!” he answers. 

“Hi Percy,” she says. “What’re you up to?”

“Making some eggs.”

“Nice. So, I got a call from Rachel.”

_Of course, she did._

“Uh huh,” Percy hums. 

“How about you put another egg on the stove for me and I’ll come over so we can chat?”

“Yeah, sure, sounds good,” he says. 

Percy knows Annabeth likes her eggs scrambled, so he makes two more while he waits for her to make the short drive over. 

When she shows up, she looks like she does any other day. Her hair is up and she’s wearing legging and an athletic jacket. He gestures to the plate he has set up for her. He’d chopped some fruit so it wasn’t a plate of just eggs and poured her a glass of juice, too. 

“Aw, Percy,” she says as she sits. 

They avoid talking about the expressed purpose of their meeting while they both munch on their breakfasts. 

Annabeth finishes her juice and turns to him, “So.”

“We can sit on the couch,” he says.

Percy knows he’s stalling. He has no idea what he’s going to say. Rachel and Grover were both telling him to confess his feelings. And that is what he wants to do, but ruining his partnership with her is the last thing he wants.

He hopes she can’t tell how much his mind is reeling. They settle on the couch, sitting far enough apart that they can turn their bodies inward to face each other. 

“So Rachel called you,” he prompts her. 

“Yes, so I saw everything about our ‘secret relationship.’” She uses air quotes on the words. 

“And?” Percy prompts again. 

For the first time that morning, Annabeth looks shy. The faintest blush appears on her cheeks and she looks down at the couch for a second. Percy fidgets with his own hands in the silence. Oh, he’s a coward. He can’t go on like this. He needs to say something. 

She beats him to it. “What if it were real?”

Her eyes are glued to his, trying to read everything about his reaction.

“What if it were real?” he repeats. “Those rumors are fake.”

“But what if they were true? What if we did have a secret relationship?” she says. “Percy, I like you.”

This conversation is not going how Percy planned. It’s going so much better, in a way that he never would have imagined. He probably has the dopiest look on his face.

“You seem a little confused,” Annabeth laughs nervously. 

That knocks him out of his trance. “I’m not! I like you, Annabeth.”

A wave of relief washes over him now that he’s finally said those words. It’s even better now that he knows that his feelings are reciprocated. He could have sat there with those words for a while, with the sweet simplicity of two people liking each other.

But Annabeth has other plans. 

She closes the space between them and holds the back of his head with one hand. Their kiss is slow and drawn out, the complete opposite of the (maybe accidental) peck they’d had yesterday. 

It’s a feeling Percy could get used to.

When she pulls back, the smallest whine escapes Percy’s mouth. 

“Are we clear now?” she asks, her voice low. 

Percy nods because if he starts talking about how much he wants this, he’ll never stop. 

She leans in to kiss him again and this time Percy is ready, so he wraps an arm around her back and uses the other to pull her legs into his lap. 

He’s the one to pull away first. “So you’re my girlfriend?”

She grins at him. “Yeah, but let’s just keep this between us for right now.”

Percy knows he should ask why and figure out exactly what she means by that, but he’s too preoccupied with the feeling of his hand on her thigh and her hand in his hair. And how she’s his girlfriend and that she likes him. And that this is finally happening. And that he didn’t even have to muster up the courage to ask her out on a date. 

He should still do that, though.

Instead of kissing her again, he just pulls her in and holds her against his chest. She rests her chin on his shoulder and they take a few breaths together. Percy tries to pour all of his emotions into that embrace. To let her know just how much he cares about her and how he wants nothing less than the best for her. And how he can’t wait for her to really meet his mom. 

They don’t have time to get into all of that now. Chiron and Clarisse are still expecting them at the arena today. 

Percy jumps. “What time is it?” he asks. 

Annabeth is the one with the sight line to the clock in his kitchen. She soothingly rubs his back. “Relax, it’s 9:15.”

“Oh, well in that case…” 

He doesn’t finish the sentence because her lips are already back on his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!  
> Thank you to bia (theseaofmonster) for beta-ing!  
> hugs :)  
> -torie (percyheartsannabeth)


	7. Chapter 7

Percy and Annabeth drive separately to the arena for practice. Even though they pull into the parking lot at the same time, he lets her go in first, then follows a few minutes later. Deep down, he knows it’s ridiculous. They’d walked in at the exact same time several times before, but now it seems like a big deal to show up _together_. 

He puts his bag in the locker and heads to the gym to start his warm up with Clarisse. Chiron finds him in the hallway first and pulls him into his office. It’s not a place Percy has spent much time, and he’s especially not used to seeing Annabeth sitting in one of the chairs.Percy immediately feels in trouble, like he’s been sent to the principal’s office for misbehaving in class.

Chiron gestures to the free chair, then sits across from them.

“So, I’ve seen everything, well not everything, online and I wanted to let you two know that as your coach, I’m here to help you with everything pertaining to your figure skating career. I understand that this kind of online content may make things a little awkward between the two of you.”

Even though Chiron hasn’t presented any questions, Percy feels like he needs to explain himself. But what is he supposed to say? He and Annabeth had just agreed to keep their relationship between the two of them, but is their coach included in that? 

Percy hopes Chiron can’t tell that he’s sweating. 

“We actually took some time to talk about the situation this morning,” Annabeth jumps in. 

That’s a true statement, so Percy nods along. Chiron looks at them expectantly. 

“I think we’re good,” Annabeth finishes. “In this space, we want to focus on our skating and the viewers can think what they want.”

Chiron turns to Percy. “You’re good?”

“Yeah,” Percy says, trying to sound sure. “We’re good.”

“Well, let me know if anything comes up,” Chiron replies. “We’ll talk about the programs later when you’re on the ice.”

They both nod and leave Chiron’s office without so much as looking at each other. They should have come up with a plan. Percy doesn’t know how to act. He’s never had a secret relationship before. He decides to follow Annabeth’s lead. She’d said that they want to focus on skating while at work so that’s what he's going to do. 

And much to Percy’s surprise, they are good. Clarisse trains them as usual and they skate as usual. Annabeth doesn’t pull him into any supply closets or hold his hands any differently. She acts the same as she has for the past few months, completely engrossed in the sport and constantly striving to be better. 

Percy admires her so much. 

They finish in the early afternoon and walk to their cars in the parking lot together. 

“Can I take you out to dinner tonight?” Percy asks. 

“You want to fan the flames?” she replies. 

“No, I want to go on a date with you.”

That earns him a smile. 

“Come over to my place instead,” she says. “It’ll still be a date, just without the possibility of anyone watching or snitching.”

He’ll take whatever he can get. “What time should I get there?”

“How about now?”

“I just need to call my mom, but I’ll come over right after.”

Annabeth nods and gives him a wave as she gets in her car and drives away. Percy sits in his car in the parking lot and fishes his phone out of his bag. His mom picks up after the first ring.

“Hi, mom,” Percy says, already feeling guilty. “How are you?

“I’m fine. The real question is: how are you? What a weekend!”

“I’m okay. Saturday had me worried, but you know, we pulled it together.”

“Annabeth seemed quite happy with your free skate scores,” Sally says, her voice teasing. Percy knows exactly what she’s hinting it. 

“She was,” is all he says. “So what else is going on?”

Percy tries to keep their conversation away from the topic of his relationship with Annabeth and he’s happy when Sally gives him a long list of updates with her life. When they finally hang up, Percy wipes a hand down his face. He won’t be able to keep anything from her for long and it’s really only a matter of time before he slips up with Rachel or Grover too.   
He turns the key in the ignition and gets on the road. The closer he gets to Annabeth’s apartment the farther away they seem in his mind. He finally gets to have a date with Annabeth, and even though it’s not the first date he had imagined, the very thought brings a smile to his face. 

Percy swings by a grocery store and picks up a bouquet of flowers and he hides them behind his back as he knocks on the door to her townhouse. 

“It’s open!” he hears her voice call from inside. “What took you so long?”

She’s changed out of her athletic gear and is instead wearing a simple navy blue romper. It’s not often that Percy sees her in everyday clothes, let alone something so feminine and cute.

“You’re adorable,” he says, the words escaping his mouth. He holds out the daisies as an answer to her question. 

Annabeth practically jogs over to him. She accepts the flowers from his outstretched hand and uses her free arm to pull him into a hug. It still feels so new when she gives him a quick kiss. 

“Do you think anyone recognized you?” she asks. 

“Come on,” he laughs. “We’re figure skaters, not celebrities.”

“I think our fans might disagree,” she says and she goes into her kitchen to fill a vase with water for the flowers. “You want anything to drink?”

“Some water, please,” Percy answers, following her into the kitchen. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

Percy waits for her to get them both glasses and he takes a deep gulp of water before he begins. “Why don’t you want other people to know that we’re together?”

He stops himself from voicing what had been nagging in the back of his mind, the worry that she doesn’t want other people to know because there’s something off about him. 

Annabeth swallows then takes another sip of water. She’s nervous. 

“Sorry,” Percy says. “I didn’t mean to start our first date on such a serious note.”

“I mean, it’s a valid question,” she admits. “It’s just that I don’t think I’ve felt so strongly about someone before and I don’t want anything to mess this up. Having everyone involved might make things more complicated than they need to be.”

She avoids his eyes as she talks and clutches her glass so tight that for a second he fears she’s going to break it. What does she mean by having everyone involved? Surely, she’s not worried about his mom or Rachel and Grover, or even their figure skating team knowing. 

And then it dawns on him. There’s a particular topic that they’ve avoided entirely for months. Luke. Even though she hasn’t mentioned him, Percy has a strong suspicion her former partner is at the heart of this anxiety. 

“Is it Luke?” he asks her, point blank. 

Annabeth’s gray eyes meet his eyes for a moment and it’s long enough for Percy to catch that he’s right. To make it even more clear, she nods as a frown falls over her face. A flare of anger courses through Percy. She hasn’t seen Luke in person since he dropped her almost six months ago and yet, Annabeth still is worried about him. 

Percy waits to give her time to explain. He realizes how little he knows about Annabeth’s relationship with her former pair partner and coach Luke and May Castellan. After observing them for years, he used to think he had a pretty good idea, but seeing Annabeth so small and withdrawn in front of him tells him that he’s missing a lot of information. 

When she still doesn’t say anything, Percy takes a step toward her. He keeps his touch light as he puts his hand on her shoulder, so she can pull away if she wants to. Instead of stepping back, Annabeth sets her glass on the counter and wraps her arms around Percy’s waist. He doesn’t have to look at her to tell that she’s trying not to cry. 

“It’s okay,” Percy says softly. He keeps one arm firmly around her back and rubs his other hand down the back of her head, smoothing down her curls. “We don’t have to get into it right now.”

“No, we should,” Annabeth says with her cheek against his chest. She lets out a shaky breath and pulls away. Her hand comes up to her face to wipe away a tear. Percy catches it and kisses her knuckles. 

“I care about you so much and I want you to know that you can trust me,” he says, holding her gaze with his eyes. 

“Let’s sit down.”

They end up sitting across from each other at her kitchen table with their hands intertwined. Percy has so many questions, but he wants Annabeth to share what’s on her mind first. He’s her boyfriend now, not an interviewer. 

“Life is complicated,” she starts. Percy just nods. “I don’t know where to start. Well, you know I’m not really close with my family and until recently Luke and May kind of were my family. I mean, I had you and Rachel and all the other skaters but you know it’s not the same.”

Percy nods again and gives her hand a squeeze. 

“The thing is that…” her voice trails off. “I just- Luke sucked. He always had something to say about me, like about my appearance or anything that I did. He knew skating was my whole world and that I was basically stuck with him and his mom, so he just did whatever he wanted and he never cared about me. He was really controlling and I know, I just _know_ he will freak out if he finds out I’m with you. And I don’t know what he’ll do. He’s already pissed at me for pairing up with you and I just don’t want to aggravate him further, at least not anytime soon.”

“Has he been contacting you?” 

“Just here and there. May tried to convince me to take him back, but I told her no, obviously.” 

There’s a part of Percy that wants to find Luke wherever he is and push him off a ladder, but his aggression isn’t what Annabeth needs right now. She needs support. Percy knows she’s only scratched the surface of what she experienced as Luke’s partner, and he’s sure she’ll open up more as they get closer. 

“And what about the rumors?” Percy asks, thinking about the video of her kissing him at the last competition. That was only yesterday and it feels like so long ago. 

She shrugs. “They’re rumors. If we get asked about it, we’ll just deny it. It’s a while before we’ll be in front of the cameras again, so we can make a plan. I know I’m putting a lot on you.”

Percy wants to ask if he can tell him mom, and Rachel, and Grover, but he also knows how easy it is for secrets to get out. 

“Do you mind if I tell my mom? I promise she can keep a secret.”

Annabeth gives him a small smile. “I wish I had a mom like yours. I trust her just as much as I trust you.”

Percy lets go of her hands and pushes his chair away from the table. He opens his arms up to her, inviting her over. Annabeth gets up and sits sideways in his lap without hesitation, leaning into him easily.

“I’m sorry being with me can’t be easy,” she says. 

“I have a feeling that even without your loser former pair skating partner, you wouldn’t make things easy for me.”

Annabeth lets out a laugh and kisses his cheek. “You’ve got that right.”

\-----

Percy and Annabeth’s next competition comes up quickly. The pressure isn’t as intense as a qualifier, but this is their last chance to “practice” before the real deal. They’re on track to perform well. Their training has been going well and their program runs have been strong.

They fly out a few days in advance to get adjusted to the time and location. Percy has a headache when they get to the hotel the first night, but he blames it on traveling and doesn’t think anything of it. They go through their normal pre competition routine and Percy pushes through what he assumes is just some tiredness. It’s only Saturday morning when his alarm goes off and opening his eyes feels like the hardest thing he’s ever done that he fully understands that he is not okay. 

He silences his alarm and tries to get out of the hotel bed. It does not go well. As soon as he stands, his head is spinning. He’s so tired and thirsty and his sinuses are pounding. 

This is not good. 

He sits back down and frantically reaches around for his phone. The light hurts his eyes, so he tells Siri, “Call Chiron.”

Percy doesn’t trust himself to walk to the door of his hotel room, so he tells Chiron to get his own key. His mind is so sluggish that he struggles to comprehend the situation. Chiron shows up quickly and Percy tries to answer his questions, but he’s struggling to keep up.

“You probably have the flu, Percy,” Chiron says dejectedly. “I’m going to call Annabeth.” 

“Annabeth! No. She’s going to be so upset.” Percy is suddenly more alert.

“So, what do you want me to do?”

“I can’t compete like this,” Percy says finally, as if Chiron hadn’t already deduced that. 

“Right, which is why I need to tell your partner, Annabeth.”

If Chiron knew that they were dating, he’d probably let Percy call her himself, but he doesn’t so Percy just has to lie there and listen to him.

“Annabeth, hi. Good morning. Um, we have a situation,” Chiron says into the phone. “Percy’s sick.”

Percy can’t hear what her reply is, but he does hear a light knock on the door almost right after Chiron hangs up. 

They talk in the hallway, and Percy’s heart breaks a little when he realizes that she’s not going to come inside. It makes sense. If he does have the flu, the last thing he wants is to give it to her if he hasn’t already. But he also wants to see her because he knows just looking at her face or feeling her hand in his would make him feel a little better.

A few minutes pass before Percy’s phone rings again. The sound immediately makes his headache worse.

“Percy?” Annabeth’s voice asks. 

“Annabeth, I’m so sorry,” he nearly cries. “This is so bad. I’m so sorry. But I can’t skate and I don’t want you to get hurt. I know I said that I’ve got you and I would never let you down and that’s what I’m doing right now.” 

There’s a moment of silence and Percy feels a tear run down his face, as he hears the sound of a door closing. 

“Sorry, I just didn’t want Chiron eavesdropping,” Annabeth says. “Baby, it’s okay. Listen, I’m not mad at you. Go back to sleep and call or text me when you wake up.” 

“What’s the latest possible time I could get up and we could still compete?”

“Percy, no.” 

“Maybe I’ll feel better when I wake up!”

“I might entertain that idea if we weren’t going to attach sharp metal blades to the bottom of our feet and jump around.” 

She’s right and he has no choice but to concede. He can hear the TV commentators voices in his head. _Due to illness, Chase and Jackson will not be competing today. This last minute information came from their coach this morning. This is a major bump in their season, but we do wish Jackson a speedy recovery._

What follows is arguably one of the worst weeks of Percy’s life. He feels awful physically, mentally, and emotionally, and he can do nothing but lie in that hotel room and sulk. Chiron takes him to a local urgent care and it turns out he does have the flu, which means he shouldn’t fly home right away. And he can’t skate or see anyone. And he’s sure Annabeth is furious that they couldn’t compete, but also that she would never say that to him. 

Chiron tells Annabeth to take her scheduled flight home, which is completely understandable because in his eyes, Annabeth is Percy’s figure skating partner and friend, a close friend who obviously cares about him very much, but still a friend. 

Percy hates that, not as much as he hates being sick, but it bothers him immensely that because of Luke, he and Annabeth have to downplay the extent of their relationship. He has more than enough time to stew with that while he recovers and it’s on the front of his mind when he finally gets back to his house.

He feels fine, good even, which only makes him angrier that he wasted an entire competition lying in bed. 

It’s the middle of the day. Annabeth is training with Clarisse and Grover is out leading a hike. He’d spent the week texting them constantly, along with Rachel and his mom, and he’s sure they’re all sick of hearing him complain. He has an appointment with his doctor tomorrow that will determine if he’s clear to skate again, so the rest of the day is free. 

Feeling restless, the first thing he does is put on his sneakers and go for a run, a long one. Exercise is always supposed to help clear the mind. He runs all the way around his neighborhood, up and down streets he normally would never see. When he returns to his house he’s drenched in sweat and out of breath and Annabeth’s car is in his driveway.

Annabeth’s car is in his driveway. 

She must see him coming in her rearview mirror because she gets out just as he’s jogging up to the door.

“Percy!” she yells, and Percy can’t really tell the tone of her voice. Maybe she’s excited, maybe she’s mad. 

Annabeth doesn’t take long to reveal how she’s feeling, though. Her arms wrap around his shoulders and she pulls him against her. His hands easily hold her in return. 

“You’re so sweaty,” Annabeth says, but she doesn’t pull away. 

Percy gives her a squeeze then lets go and heads inside. He sees his phone on his kitchen counter. He’d texted Annabeth when he got home from the airport and assumed she wouldn’t see the messages for a while

He opens his phone to find a string of messages over the course of an hour from Annabeth.

_Annabeth: just got done with clarisse. gonna skate for a bit now. do you want me to come over?_

_i can swing by the store and get you groceries im sure your fridge is empty_

_Are you asleep_

_Lmk when you see these_

_Ok i hope you’re resting. Im just going to come over to drop some food off_

_Omw_

Percy’s face grows hot as he reads and he looks up to see Annabeth looking equally embarrassed, holding a bag of groceries in her arms. He could cry.

“You shouldn’t go on runs without your phone,” she says, sternly. “Take a shower. I’ll make you a sandwich.” 

Half an hour later, they’re settled on top of the covers of Percy’s bed after Percy gives in to Annabeth’s insistence that he continue to rest. He’s not going to complain about spending an afternoon dozing off and cuddling with his girlfriend. 

They’re lying face to face when Percy can’t stop himself from asking, “So you’re not mad at me?” 

“Why would I be mad at you?”

“Because I ruined our competition and I should have taken better care of myself to not get sick in the first place.”

“Come on,” she sighs. “You know that’s not how things work. Sometimes, you just get sick.”

“But now our skating is really set back,” he insists. 

“Well, yeah. I will say that I was frustrated about that and training this week without you was the worst, but Percy, you’re much more to me than just my pair skating partner. Not competing was the right choice for our safety and I’m so glad that you’re healthy now. You’re my boyfriend first, okay?”

If there was a doubt in Percy’s mind that Annabeth was the one for him, it disappears with her words. The crush that he’s been harbouring for so long does not compare to the outburst of emotion that’s flowing from his heart. Since they teamed up, he’s been focused on taking care of her and being there for her, but now it’s clear that she is willing and able to return that favor. 

“I should have stayed with you,” she continues. “I’m sorry I-”

Percy cuts her off. “I love you.” 

Maybe it’s a little early in their relationship and maybe she isn’t ready to say it back, but he wants her to know exactly how he feels about her. 

She sits up abruptly, and for a moment Percy fears that she’s going to leave. 

“Do you really mean that?” she asks. 

“I do,” he answers, keeping his voice level. In one swift motion, she throws her leg over his body and straddles him. He pushes himself up so that they’re face to face, with her seated properly on his lap. “Do you want me to say it again?”

She gives him the slightest nod, her eyes wide.

“I love you.” He kisses her softly. “I love you.”

She’s the one who pulls him into a tight embrace so his chin is on her shoulder and he can nuzzle the side of her neck. It takes another moment, but she exhales and says, “I love you, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!  
> thank you to bia (theseaofmonster)  
> hope this brought you warmth :)  
> -torie (percyheartsannabeth)


	8. Chapter 8

“Okay, we need a game plan,” Annabeth says. 

Percy’s watching her scrunch up her damp hair in the bathroom mirror. It’s a Saturday morning at the beginning of November and in about an hour, Percy will be leaving to pick his mom up from the airport. Then, he’ll take her to dinner with Annabeth, Grover, and Rachel. It’ll be the first time he’s seen Rachel and his mom in person since he and Annabeth got together. 

While Sally’s in the loop, Grover and Rachel are not, which means that he and Annabeth will be sitting at a table with two people who they’ve been lying to for weeks. Two people who Percy is sure will see right through them. 

“Don’t touch me at dinner,” she continues, turning around to face him. “Actually, touch me a normal amount. It’d be weird if we didn’t touch. You should hug me.” 

Percy wants to laugh, but he can tell from the way Annabeth is staring at him, she’s dead serious. 

“I will give you a very normal very friendly hug,” he agrees. 

“And I’m not going to sleep over while your mom is in town.”

“Oh really? You don’t want to bump elbows with her brushing your teeth in the morning?” he laughs. 

“This is serious, Percy! I know I’ve met her before, but this time will be different.”

“Are you nervous?” 

Annabeth turns back around but holds his gaze in the mirror. “A little.”

“You know that she loves you, right?” he says with so much confidence that Annabeth can't help but nod. “I’m more nervous about Grover and Rachel.” 

“We can keep it together,” she smiles. “They won’t suspect a thing.” 

They do suspect a thing.

The group of five sits around a circular table at a dim sum restaurant in Denver. Rachel and Grover’s eyes are boring into him while he stares at the rotating glass top in the center of the table and pushes it back and forth. Annabeth and Sally are chatting about the weather as if there isn’t this obvious tension between the three other members of the party. 

When they’d all arrived Percy had greeted them all with friendly hugs, and yes he did have to stop himself from lingering with his arms around Annabeth, but they hadn’t done anything obvious to indicate that they were secretly dating each other. 

“So,” Rachel says to Percy. “I know it may not seem like it, but the US championships aren’t too far away now.”

Percy lets out a breath. He half expected Rachel to just get the ball rolling and directly ask about what was going on between him and Annabeth, why they had been avoiding each other’s eyes and why Percy barely talked about her even though they spend nearly all their time together. In all of their recent phone conversations, Percy had kept the focus firmly on Rachel and her projects, and only shared updates on how his professional relationship with Annabeth was going. 

“It is,” Percy agrees. He anticipates her next question. “I think we’re feeling good. Yes, there have been setbacks this season, but overall I’m extremely proud of the work we’ve done.”

“Any worries about getting back in the spotlight?” she prompts.

“It’s nothing we can’t handle,” he replies, glancing at Annabeth for the first time since they sat down with a little smile. She catches his eye and returns the expression, maybe a little too fondly. “Anyway,” Percy coughs. “Rachel, how are YOU feeling about getting back in the spotlight?” 

That catches Annabeth’s attention. 

“I’m excited!” Rachel says. “More about skating again than anything else.

“Are you doing a showcase or something?” Annabeth asks.

Rachel nods, but is interrupted by the server coming by to take their orders.

“It’s all still up in the air, but I do want to get back out on the ice,” Rachel continues. “But how about you, Annabeth? Any fun life updates?” 

“Same old same old,” she replies smoothly. 

Rachel gives her a long look. “I’m actually going to run to the restroom.” Her eyes don’t leave Annabeth’s face. 

Annabeth seems to receive the message and finally says. “I’ll come too.”

The two of them grab their purses and leave Percy sweating at the table with his mom and Grover. 

Grover gives him a questioning look and a head tilt. Percy has the feeling that Grover is about to expose him and he can’t take it anymore. “I just realized I, uh, forgot something in the car. My wallet I think. I should go get it. Um, Grover would you mind coming with me?”

“Sweetie,” Sally interjects. “What is going on?”

Percy can only imagine how ridiculous this all looks to his mom. Hiding his relationship with Annabeth from their two best friends is clearly futile, and both Grover and Rachel are just waiting for one of them to admit it. He’s annoyed at how this dinner is just painfully awkward when it should be a fun reunion for all of them. 

“I just need to chat with Grover for a minute. We’ll be right back.”

He feels bad for leaving her at the table by herself, but Rachel and Annabeth will be back soon. 

Grover grabs his jacket and follows Percy outside without another word. As soon as the door to the restaurant closes behind them, Percy looks at his friend. Grover reads his expression.

“You didn’t have to make me walk all the way out here in the cold to tell me that you and Annabeth are together,” he says with his arms crossed. 

“Please don’t tell anyone.” Percy walks towards his car even though his wallet is in his pocket.

“Who am I going to tell?” he asks exasperated. “And more importantly why is it a secret?” 

“Annabeth just doesn’t want- no we just don’t want to go public yet,” Percy stammers. 

“Am I the public?” The hurt is evident in Grover’s voice. 

“I’m sorry.” He really is; there’s been an undercurrent of guilt every time he evades Grover’s questions and lies about what he’s doing because he’s with Annabeth. “I know I can trust you and I shouldn’t have kept this from you.”

“You’ve got that right. Does Rachel know?”

“I only told my mom.” 

“Oh, you sweet boy.” Grover leans against the side of Percy's car. “So, how’s it going?”

“It’s amazing,” Percy smiles. “She’s actually the one who asked me out.”

“I told you that she liked you.”

“I told her that I love her.”

Grover’s eyebrows shoot up. “That was fast.”

“I know, but it felt so right in the moment and she said it back.”

As Percy rattles on about how all the things he loves about Annabeth, Grover’s face softens. “Buddy, as much as I want to hear you wax poetic about your girlfriend, we’re in the middle of a dinner and those dumplings are calling my name.”

Percy slaps his forehead. “Okay, act normal. I didn’t tell you anything.”

Grover holds up his hands. “We just got your wallet.”

Just as Percy turns back towards the restaurant, Grover says, “Hey, come here,” and pulls him into a hug. “I’m mad at you but I’m also happy for you, really happy for you.”

Percy tightens his grip around his best friend. “Thank you. I’ll make it up to you.”

Grover pats him on the back. “Don’t worry about it. Just keep me in the loop.”

Back inside, Annabeth and Rachel are back from their excursion to the bathroom and are chatting with Sally while they sip their drinks. The three of them give Percy a look when he sits back down and just smiles sheepishly at them.

“Found your wallet?” Annabeth asks. 

“Yep.”

Percy feels conflicted. On one hand, he’s so absolutely relieved that he doesn’t have to hide from Grover anymore. It had been getting harder and harder not to gush to him and his relationship with Annabeth progressed. On the other hand, he had betrayed Annabeth’s desire to keep things just between the two of them (and Sally). Percy’s sure that Grover would never tell anyone willingly or tip off any media outlets, but it would be hard to tell Annabeth that he couldn’t keep his own mouth shut. 

All this is running through his mind as he tries to make normal conversation and he tips back and forth between happy and stressed. He wishes that things didn’t have to be weird. He wants his friends to know that he’s in a happy relationship with the woman he loves. He wants to be able to hold Annabeth’s hand under the table and refer to her as his girlfriend.

It’s all Luke’s fault really. He’s the reason why they’re hiding. Percy can’t care less about the fans and the attention they’ll get. Percy and Annabeth aren’t the first pair skaters to get together and they won’t be the last. 

Luckily, the onslaught of dim sum dishes can distract him from his thoughts. The server places the bamboo steamers and plates in the center of the table and the rest of the meals turns into a rotation of dishes and chatting and it finally feels normal.

“Well, I’ll be in town for the rest of the week,” Rachel says as they’re putting in their coats to leave. 

“Come over anytime this week,” Percy says. “And stop by the arena too, if you want.”

“I’ll be sure to take you up on that.”

Percy wraps his arms around her shoulders and rocks them back and forth for a moment, silently apologizing for continuing to lie to her about Annabeth. 

He makes sure to hug Annabeth the exact same way and he doesn’t miss the way she laughs against his chest because she knows exactly what she’s doing. 

The car ride home with his mom is quiet and when they get back to his house, Sally yawns. 

“You’re probably so jetlagged,” he observes.

She nods. “I’m glad you finally set up your guest room without me having to do it for you.”

“It only took you reminding me a couple of times,” he admits. “And maybe Annabeth helped me a bit too.” 

“Even though you're all grown up now, you're still my boy.” She pats Percy’s cheek. “You’ll figure things out with Annabeth and your friends right?”

He’s the one to wrap his arms around her. “Yeah.” He really hopes he will. 

“Good because I don’t want to go to another awkward dinner like that again.”

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Percy doesn’t see Annabeth until they meet at the arena Monday morning for warm up. He’d been so preoccupied with his mom for the rest of the weekend, that he’d forgotten about breaking his promise to Annabeth and how he's neglected to tell her. But he hasn’t received a phone call from Rachel with her saying that an anonymous source very close to the pair confirmed that they are in fact a romantically involved couple, so surely he has nothing to worry about right then. 

That comfort disappears completely after Annabeth doesn’t say a word to him their entire warm up. They’re lacing their skates up on the side of the ice rink when Percy can’t take it anymore.

“Hey Annabeth?” he says quietly. 

Her head snaps up to look at him. “Yeah?”

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” She looks back at her laces.

The way she says it doesn't reassure him at all. Before he can press her, she finishes knotting her laces and steps over to the ice. 

Chiron is waiting there and takes her skate guards. Percy tries to follow her as quickly as he can and Chiron gives him a questioning look as he scrambles onto the ice. 

Annabeth is skating in a wide loop and Percy cuts across the ice to catch up to her. Just as he’s about to reach her, she stops by scraping her skates perpendicular to her direction of travel and starts skating backwards.

“Just give me a minute, Percy,” she says as she backs away from him. 

Percy nods and starts his own loops, going through a few simple steps to get accustomed on the ice for the morning. His body is on autopilot as he moves around because his mind is reeling. Annabeth is clearly upset and avoiding him as much as she can. Grover wouldn’t have told her that he spilled the beans. He hadn’t called her to talk yesterday but they’d gone many Sundays without talking to each other and she knew he was with his mom. She’d seemed happy with him Saturday morning, so something must have happened at the dinner or after. 

They run separate drills while Chiron gives them directions from the side of the ice for a few minutes. 

“Let’s run some lifts then do a full run of the short program,” he says. 

Percy and Annabeth meet in the center of the ice as Chiron gives them further instructions. Annabeth is looking across the ice at Chiron while he speaks. Her arms are crossed and even though Percy keeps glancing at her face, she won’t meet his eye.

Chiron gives them the go ahead and she assumes her starting position with her hand out, expecting Percy to take it. 

“Sorry, Chiron,” Percy hollers out. “I’m sorry, can I just have a minute - can we have a minute? I- I need to talk to my partner.”

“What?” Annabeth says, without turning around. 

“I don’t know. I feel like something is weird.”

“Nothing is weird. Now, come on, we don’t have a ton of time.” 

“I’m not going to lift you until you can at least turn around and look me in the eye.”

Annabeth drops her arms and turns in a slow circle. Her face is unreadable when she looks up at him. 

“Can we skate now?” she asks. 

“No,” Percy says firmly. 

“What’s up?”

“We have to talk. Maybe we should go somewhere.”

“Can it wait? I don’t want to waste time.”

“Why are you so worried about time?”

“Because we’re running out!” she snaps. “Let’s go.”

Percy is more confused than ever. Yes, the US championships are getting closer, but they still have over two months. 

“We could get back to skating if you could tell me what’s bothering you.”

“I told you everything is fine.”

“Stop saying that. You’ve haven’t talked to me all morning.”

“Okay, fine let’s talk. What do you want to say?”

Percy hesitates. Should he tell her about Grover? Would that make things better or worse? He has to say something.

“I owe you an apology,” he starts. “At the dinner on Saturday, I told Grover about us.”

“Why didn’t you tell me that Rachel was getting back into skating?” she replies.

It’s not the response Percy is expecting. “What?”

“You knew Rachel is coming out of retirement.”

“She’s not really coming out of retirement. She’s not planning on competing.”

“You still thought I wouldn’t want to know? Like this news wouldn’t affect me?”

“It doesn’t affect you?”

“Percy, what if she asks you to skate with her again? Do a tour or showcase or join Disney on Ice or something?”

It all clicks. 

“You’re worried that I’ll leave you to be Rachel’s partner again?”

“You were her partner for years. You love her. She’s like your best friend. Of course, I’m worried.”

“If Rachel ever proposes that we skate together in any professional capacity again, you will be the first to know. I’m not just going to leave you, Annabeth.”

Even though Chiron is watching and anyone could be in the arena, Percy reaches out his arm to his girlfriend to pull her closer to him. She accepts the embrace and holds him around the waist. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” he says, resting his chin on the top of her head.

“No, I’m sorry. It’s just augh, I got so freaked out.”

Percy rubs a soothing hand up and down her back. “It’s okay.”

“And I’m not mad about you telling Grover because I told Rachel too.”

“You told Rachel?” Percy pulls away to see her face.

Annabeth looks up at him with a red nose and watery eyes. “She cornered me in the bathroom!”

“Well, I don’t think either of them are going to tell on us. But I do wish this didn’t have to be a secret.”

“Me too,” she sighs.

“I especially don't want to keep you a secret anymore because yesterday, my mom told me that she would love to have you over for Christmas and I can think of some very public dates that I would want to take you on in New York City.” 

“Your mom invited me over for Christmas?”

“That’s what I just said.”

She tightens her grip around him and pulls him even closer. After a moment, she says something else, but her voice is muffled against his chest.

“What?”

“I’m going to talk to Luke,” she says slowly and deliberately. “I’m going to tell him everything I should have said to him years ago and about us.” 

That should be good news for Percy, but the thought of Annabeth confronting Luke spikes his blood pressure. Not because he thinks that she can’t do it, but because she’ll do it no matter how hard it is or how much it hurts. 

There’s so much more they need to discuss about Rachel and Luke, but they are still standing in the middle of an ice rink holding onto each other while their coach and team watches them in silence.

“You want to come over tonight?” he asks. “We can talk and maybe look at some flights?”

“I’d love that.” She sniffles. “I need to get a tissue.”

“Chiron can grab one for you.”

“Yeah, that’s why he gets paid the big bucks, to watch me cry and get me tissues.” 

“Between that and taking me to urgent care I think he’s worth it,” Percy jokes. “Listen, you’re my best friend and I love you.”

“Grover’s your best friend.”

“I can have more than one best friend, and we all know that this is a little different.” 

Percy wants to lean down and kiss her and hold her for even longer so that she’ll really feel what he's trying to say. But they’re at work with a job to do, so he settles with giving her hand a squeeze.

“Okay, partner,” she smiles, dabbing under her eyes with her knuckle. “Let’s skate.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :) i hope all of you have been hanging in there!
> 
> i might do like a chapter 8.5 christmas special one shot. pls feel free to send any prompts or ideas to my tumblr percyheartsannabeth for this fic or any ideas in general!
> 
> hugs and warmth  
> torie
> 
> PS I did the xmas special here - https://archiveofourown.org/works/28298097

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! You can find me on tumblr at Percyheartsannabeth. I'm not a figure skater so this is not going to be completely accurate. Please suspend your disbelief for me :) I'll try to post the next chapter soon!  
> Thank you to everyone in the discord for the encouragement and support!


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